Knight and Day
by gloriousvikings
Summary: Raven feels alone in the world because she lacks a soul-mate. Little does she know her prayers will soon be answered... OC/Rae
1. Chapter 1

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 1- A troubled mind**

Raven sat alone in her bedroom, as she spent most of her time doing. She had argued with Beast Boy, and during that argument he called her creepy. A fairly mild insult, but she knew he was right and it affected her deeply. It had been nearly a year since she had last been referred to that way. When it happened, she ended in accidently releasing an ancient and evil dragon from a cursed book. The dragon Melchior had tricked her, convincing her that he was a dashing hero from the book and that they could be together, but it was all a lie. Now, here she sat. Raven had always told herself how the right man would come along, the kind of man who could appreciate her for who she was. She sighed and laid back in her bed, despairing. She was beginning to lose hope that her knight in shining armor would ever show up. She fell asleep. In her dream, an armored gauntlet lay idle on a table. A hand, whose attached body was cloaked in shadow, reached down and slipped into the gauntlet. The limp fingers filled with life and wriggled a few times, as the mysterious wearer tested the fit. Then,his fist clenched, and there was darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 2- The reckoning**

"Titans , trouble!" shouted Robin, who was barely audible over the blaring sirens that accompanied the red lights flashing throughout Titan's tower. It took the team mere moments to assemble. Well, most of the team. Raven was fast asleep, lost in her dream of the strange armored glove, the sirens roused her, and she headed off to the main room to join her friends. Displayed on the enormous TV at the head of the room was a blue map, with a small point of red light blinking in the upper left corner, indicating a crime in the city. "It's a bank robbery" said robin." A bank robbery?" Cyborg said questioningly," Isn't that a little, well, old school?" "I know" robin explained, " Control freak has escaped from prison and he'll want his remote back, this may simply be a diversion to get us away from Titan's tower so he can steal it." "I do not like this, Starfire exclaimed." "Neither do I" Robin continued, "Raven and Beast boy, stay behind and guard the tower." With that, the remaining heroes left for the bank, while Raven and Beast boy were left alone. "So…" Beast boy said meekly,"um… sorry for calling you creepy." Raven merely looked at him with a look of disdain upon her pale face. "Right… I am just gonna, uh, go guard the remote." And with that, Beast boy left Raven alone in the main room of Titan's tower. Raven sat down and pulled out a book. If Control Freak did show up, she could get to him easily enough from here. Her book was about a dashing knight who battled a dragon for the hand of a maiden, cliché yes, but well written nonetheless. Minutes passed-nothing happened. As she was reaching the climax of her story, and all hope seemed lost for the gallant knight, Beast boy came flying the door, breaking Ravens concentration. However, as Raven would soon learn, this was the least of her worries. An army of inanimate objects marched through the door, brought to life by a laughing control freak. "I told you this wasn't over!" Control Freak proclaimed triumphantly. Raven looked to her left to see Beast boy, slumped on the floor in an unconscious heap. "Azuras mentreon zynt-" her words of magic were cut short as living tape latched itself to her mouth. Her concentration was broken and the army of inanimate thing marched ever closer, gnashing their teeth. Raven was defenseless, and doomed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 3- An act of providence**

A TV that had been drafted into Freak's army lashed out with its wiring, striking Raven and sending her reeling in to the ground, still struggling to get the living tape off her face. "ENOUGH!" shouted Control Freak, "Kill them." Freak pushed a button on his remote and the Malignant TV advanced, it wire-whips began to glow with enough electricity to kill ten men. Raven's eyes widened as she realized her end had come. Outside the tower a solitary figure walked along the bridge next to Titans tower. He wore a trench coat and a fedora, his face was cast in shadow and his body was hidden beneath the coat. As Beast boy hit the wall in Titan's tower there was a resounding crash. The mysterious figure looked to the tower. Though the world could not see it a look of concern crossed his face. As he heard the sounds of battle emanate from the building he realized that something must be done. He looked and began to calculate the distance of his jump. The tower was maybe fifty feet away, but nearly 100 feet lower then where he was standing. He could make it. He stepped back few feet, and then the dark figure ran at the edge of the bridge and leaped. He flew through air and for a moment it seemed to him as though time itself slowed. However, given the trajectory of his jump he would never make it on to the roof. From the inside of his coat he withdrew a crossbow, he had mere seconds. He aimed to a point on the roof of Titan's tower and fired. The bolt sprung from his bow with blinding speed, its head was adorned with three fish-hook like prongs and a rope trailed from its back end. The bolt landed on the roof, slid backward of few feet, then stuck. The man jolted as the rope suddenly gained tension and the momentum swung him upward. He had planned it perfectly. The swing of the rope sent him up and he crashed through the window into the main living room of the tower. Meanwhile, the TV had already struck. Its deadly payload flew towards Raven and she cowered, knowing what was about to happen. But then, the stranger smashed through the window and landed in front of her. He saw what was coming and still he stood his ground. The deadly weapon struck him head on and instantly there was a bright light as his coat sizzled away. Remarkably, the man still stood on his feet, leaving a look of shock on both Raven's and Freak's face. Even more remarkably, was the stranger's most prominent feature; from head to toe he was clad in armor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 4- the fury of battle**

Raven's savior was an impressive sight to say in the least, and for a moment she forgot about her predicament. He was tall, around six feet, and completely encased in armor. The armor was not futuristic or technologically advanced, it was older, from medieval times or the renaissance. It was as black as the deepest night but it was adorned with shining, polished brass around its edges. The brass also formed large crosses across the front of the warrior's helm as well as his breastplate, the symbols of a Christian knight. On his back was slung a great sword and a crossbow, the knight lifted the grand weapon from his back seemingly effortlessly, although it was five and a half feet and looked as though it weighed a ton. The newcomer wasted no time in talking and immediately launched himself into action. He cut a sloth into the army of unnatural minions. As he did so, he brushed past Raven and her hand made contact with him. She caught a glimpse of his mind and she recoiled as all she felt was a blinding, all consuming rage. It was not rage born of anger, but of battle. She was amazed at the power this stranger wielded.

He moved at an impossible speed, hacking and slashing away at his opponents. He swung his huge weapon in great arcs and skillfully smashed his adversaries into oblivion with a single mighty stroke. Raven was awestruck and amazed, but more importantly, she had the chance to return to fighting the living tape that inhibited her powers. Control Freak cowered in fear as this new hero crashed through the ranks of his makeshift army. But Freak regained himself and an evil smile began to creep its way across his face. "I have learned some new tricks, Raven." explained Freak. "Say goodbye to your new friend!" With that new remark, Control Freak pressed yet another button on his evil remote. Instantly, the small soldiers he had created stiffened and withdrew. But the knight did not stop his attack; he was consumed by his rage and he chased after them, destroying any within his reach.

Control Freak merely laughed as his true plan was revealed. The assailants, small and large alike, began to group together, their form growing and growing until it created a single, grotesque monster that stood ten feet tall. The monster lowered its composite head and bellowed a booming roar that resembled an electronic lion. The stranger was un-phased. In return, he roared his own cry of war that dwarfed the strange monster's. At this, the monster charged, as did the knight. The creature swung at him with his right arm, the knight dodged the attack and pushed the arm aside. He then spun around 45 degrees and swung his sword, it sliced cleanly through the monster's makeshift appendage and his arm fell to the ground, shattering into hundreds of lifeless, once again inanimate objects. The knight took advantage of the temporary distraction and ran behind the creature and up its back. From inside he could see a red glow, a single object ,a small cell phone, was the center that controlled the entire beast. It was an impossible target, but the newcomer was undeterred. As the creature roared and tried to pull the knight from his perch, the stranger leaped into the air and angled his sword down, directly at the small point of light. He landed and plunged the weapon deep inside the creature, amazingly he hit the small object that was its heart. The monsters roared one final time as it fell apart into a sea of indiscernible knick knacks.


	5. Chapter 5

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 5- Knight in shining armor**

Control Freak stabbed furiously at his dysfunctional remote with his pudgy finger. No matter how he tried, he could not re-animate anything, summoning the huge creature must have drained its last reserves of energy. At this, Freak turned and ran. He was screaming empty threats and vows of vengeance but the knight could hear the fear in his voice as he did so. The stranger was not amused; he pulled out his crossbow and loaded it with a bolt. The bolt had a large and deadly looking tip. Raven screamed at him in her mind, if he killed Freak, he would just be another criminal, and she would be forced to attack him. She tried desperately to get the tape from her mouth, it wasn't living, but it still stuck fast. Knight raised his crossbow ad took careful aim. "DON'T!" Raven screamed as she finally got free, but she was too late. The newcomer squeezed the trigger on his bow and let fly its deadly payload. Raven saw and lost hope, as the knight's aim was true.

Just as Raven charged her powers, the tip of the blot exploded, and from it flew a net. Freak stumbled and fell was he was incased in its grasp. "Are you all right?" For the first time Raven heard the knight's voice. It was deep, befitting of a warrior of his prowess, but the tone was respectful and polite. "I'm… fine" Raven stammered. She was distracted by her curiosity of the stranger. He took off his helmet and turned around. The helmet was secured with a leather strap so that it hung off his back and he did not have to carry it. She saw his face. His eyes were blue, and they had a deep quality to them. His face itself, was sharp and defined, but most importantly to Raven, young. Her savior couldn't have been any more than seventeen years old. His hair was brown, and while his pale face was clean and shaved, the hair of his head was messy from being in his helmet. "My name is Knight, yeah I know it isn't original, but it's short and sweet and to th-""I think it's great!" Raven cut him off, and mentality kicked herself for doing so. "Thanks" It was the last thing Knight ever said.

For a few hours anyway. Unknown to Raven and Knight, the other Titans had returned. Robin took one look at the scene and assumed Knight was the intruder. He ran ever so quietly behind him, and from there he struck the back of Knight's unarmored head with his staff. Knight crumpled to the floor in a heap. It took around half an hour for Raven to convince Robin and the other titans that Knight was NOT the villain and that Robin didn't need to haul him off to prison with Control Freak, who was still trapped on the floor. With that, the titans placed knight on their couch and waited for him to regain consciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 6- **awakening

Some hours later, Knight awoke to five faces staring down had him. They were fuzzy and unclear at first, but they gradually came into focus. "Ugh, what happened?" Knight said groggily. "I kind of…" Robin began,"...Mistook you for one of the bad guys; I'm Robin, this is Beast boy, Starfire, Cyborg, and you've already met Raven" Knight sat up and looked around, his head was throbbing. The one Robin pointed out to be Beast boy was scowling, and holding a bag of ice to his head. He was the one who had lay on the floor unconscious when Knight had first come crashing through the window. Robin was scratching the back of his head, and smiling apologetically, while Starfire smiled and looked as though she was ready to spew a million and a half questions. Cyborg too smiled, but Raven just stared blankly. "I saw your fight on the security cams" Robin said, gesturing to the pile that was once alive and trying to attack Raven." It was pretty awesome!" shouted Cyborg, "I've never seen anything like it, how can you take on so many guys!" Robin looked disdainfully at Cy, and then looked back to Knight. Knight detected a hint of jealousy in Robin's face. Then, it was Starfire's turn, "Wheredoyoulivewhatisyourrealnamedoyouhaveafamilyw ouldyouliketobemyfriend!" As Knight tried to make sense of the down-poor of questions Robin spoke once more, "The kind of talent you have is the kind the Teen Titans are always looking for, what Starfire is trying to ask is whether or not you would consider joining us." Knight was taken aback for a moment. "I suppose I could." Knight said,"I have a home just outside of town, but I rarely stay there. I am on the road mostly and I only return there to gain access to my workshop." Beast boy looked confused," Your sixteen and you live on your own?" Knight had truthfully been on the move so the child protection agency would not find him and try to haul him off to a foster home. "Yeah," Knight started," I don't have a family, and the house I got through… my inheritance." Knight did not wish to tell them that he was the last surviving member of his family. "Well, if you want to, you can stay here for the night, we will test your abilities in the morning." said Robin. "That's great," Cyborg explained, "But we don't have any extra beds for him to sleep in." While the Titans contemplated the sleeping arrangements for the night, Raven finally spoke; "he can stay in my room" The other Titans looked at her as though she had grown a second head. "But no one EVER goes in Raven's room" said Beast boy. Robin looked and said, "Isn't that a little, um, you know a guy and a girl in the same room…" "What are you suggesting?" Raven said flatly. Inside she smiled, she wanted Knight in her room, because she wanted to get to know him, not for the reasons Robin meekly tried to point out. "Fine" Robin said, slightly annoyed. The group broke up and headed their separate ways. Knight stood up, he intended to get himself acquainted with the building.

Bys sunset, he had seen what there was too see of Titan's tower. He located the bathrooms, the basement, etc. He had passed by a room labeled "Terra" Robin told him that he had met all the existing titans and so the label puzzled him slightly, but he continued on. He headed up and up, further and further until he came up on the roof. It was windy. He walked over and retrieved his crossbow bolt. Then, he looked out to the sea and the sunset and he sat down, cross legged. He closed his eyes, and began to meditate.


	7. Chapter 7

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 7- Ghosts of the past**

Raven headed up the stairs to the roof, there, she planned to meditate as she always did. When she reached the door to the roof, she began to open it. As the door swung open, she stopped. She could see Knight, unaware of her presence, quietly meditating. She was surprised to see this; after all, she was the only one whoever peered that deep into their own soul, at least the only one among the titans. Raven quietly closed the door and headed down to her room wondering about this newcomer. Knight meanwhile, was deep in his own thoughts. He tried to focus on the good in his life, even though he had been the victim of so much bad. By the time he awoke from his trance, darkness had fallen. The time was around 10:30. He headed down to Raven's room, he felt a little awkward, sleeping in her room, but he knocked anyway. "Yes", said an annoyed sounding Raven as she opened her door, just slightly enough so that her face was visible. When she saw Knight standing there, she smiled and opened her door all the way, revealing her room. Her room was dark. The walls were painted a dark blue and strange and ominous curios decorated her shelves and walls. "Hey," Knight began, "You said I could sleep here tonight?"

"I did."

"Right, thank you"

Knight then started the long process of undressing. It took him half an hour to shed his metal shell, undoing the straps and buckles that held his unique suit in place. When he finally finished and looked up, he accidentally saw Raven in nothing but her underwear. Her features were slender and shapely. She saw him, and he looked away quickly, turning his back to her. "What?" She said, "Oh, you don't think I'm ug-""NO!" Knight said a little too quickly. "It's not that, quite the contrary really, it's just that I am bound by the code of chivalry to honor and respect women, including their privacy" Raven replied,"oh". Knight turned around slowly, giving her time to pull on her night clothes. Now it was her turn to be impressed. She saw him in nothing but a pair of pants and her eyes lingered for a moment on his toned upper body. He wasn't overly large, but he was still quite muscular she assumed he had once been very skinny, but wearing heavy armor all the time changed that. Knight bunched up some spare blankets and lay on the ground, next to Raven's bed. He had a long day, and after he wished Raven goodnight, it did not take long for sleep to claim him.

The next thing Knight knew, he was running towards a school. He was wearing armor, but it was different, his armor was simpler, and instead of being jet black it was polished steel. He couldn't remember why he was running to the school, until he got close. There were men, ten large men with machetes, trying to break into the school. A student lay face down in a pool of blood, unmoving, a few feet from the entrance. Knight drew his sword; it was smaller than his usual one, a long sword. The men took notice of his approach and were quite surprised to see him. But the odds were still ten to one and they rushed Knight. Knight felt clumsy, unskillful as he desperately tried to thwart their attacks. Blows rained down on his armor, they glanced off, but knight had little padding to cushion the attacks. He sank to one knew under the weight of his enemy's attack. Then, something inside him changed. He was encircled, all but defeated but he felt a rush of anger. It was his first taste of berserker rage; he exploded upward, standing on his feet and slashing about him, slightly injuring most of his assailants. Now, he took the offensive. Knight took the terrorists by surprise with his sudden burst of fury; he fought harder and harder until one of the attackers left an opening in his defense. Knight took advantage of it and stabbed the man through the heart, killing him almost instantly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 8- Bolstering the Ranks**

Knight awoke in a cold sweat. He had been dreaming again, having one of his awful nightmares from his seemingly inescapable past. He looked to the clock; it was only six thirty in the morning. Raven was still fast asleep. Knight got up and stretched, re-donned his armor as quietly as possible so as not to wake Raven. There was nothing for him to do, so he borrowed a book from Raven's shelf. Then, Knight very carefully made his way out of Raven's room.

Raven woke up from a good dream. She couldn't remember what happened, but it made her feel great whatever it was. She sat up and looked around. There was no sign of Knight. He and his armor were gone. The blankets he had borrowed were neatly folded and put back were they belonged. She quickly dressed and saw that it was nearly nine o' clock. When she headed to the living room she was surprised to see Knight, his nose buried in one of her books. "Good morning" She said, almost cheerfully. "OH, I uh... "was bored so you borrowed one of my books?" Knight smiled apologetically. "Its fine," Raven replied," The silence is a lot better than hearing the game-station." Knight just shrugged and returned to his reading.

It took until eleven for the entire team to be up and ready. Beast boy seemed appalled to learn that Knight had arisen any earlier than ten. "All right," Robin said "Knight, it's time for your test. Everyone, let's head to the roof." The team headed up and went out into the crisp morning air, the sky was clear. "So, what my test?" asked Knight. "Titans, GO!" Robin barked. Knight had half expected this, and his crossbow was drawn and loaded in a flash. The Titans sprang into action, Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin hurled whatever they could at Knight, Beast boy morphed into a bull and charged, and Raven hesitated for only a moment before magic sprung from her hands and sent random objects flying towards him. Seeing this, Knight turned and ran. "HA!" Shrieked Beast boy, "that's what I thought!" But knight kept running, and ran right of the roof, much to the surprise of the Titans "Where'd he go?" asked Cyborg. Starfire shrugged. An instant later knight came flying over the edge of the roof from behind the titans; he must have grappled and used his momentum to out flank them, because he crashed straight into Cyborg's back, sending him sprawling to the ground, then did a back flip, reloading as he did so with a new bolt. As soon as he landed he fired at Raven and soon after a net encased her. Robin charged at Knight with his staff raised, Knight drew his sword in response and the two dueled furiously, exchanging blows faster than what seemed even possible. Their battle was short lived as Beast boy, now a T-rex, came careening into Knight and Starfire hurled her star bolts at the armored warrior. Star fire was flying, out of knights reach. Beast boy roared and ran straight at Knight as Starfire flew after him. The armored hero saw his opportunity. As Beast boy lowered his head, Knight jumped on top of it. He then used the added height to get to Starfire. He struck with his sword; at the last second he switched his grip on the weapon so as only to hit her with the pommel of his weapon. The blow knocked her unconscious, and as Knight fell he took her limp form in one arm to prevent her from hitting the ground. Her laid her down gently and turned to face Beast boy and Robin. Beast boy, still a T-rex ran at Knight a second time. Knight waited, then at the last moment he jumped and brought the pommel down hard on the Lizards head. Beast boy fell to the ground, knocked out, and human once more. Robin was the last standing member of the titans and he turned to face Knight. The two charged each other and once more clashed. Robin was fast and strong, his blows rained down but Knight managed to block each one expertly. Raven watched the battle unfold though the net she was entrapped in. She was not even thinking about escaping, she merely watched in awe at Robin and Knight's battle. All of a sudden, Knight did the stupidest thing Raven had ever seen. In the heat of his conflict he gripped is word with two hands and raised it above his head, leaving his entire body exposed. Robin took advantage of Knight's mistake. Robin swung with his staff at Knight's exposed mid-section, but he found out too late that it was a trap. As Robin swung, Knight suddenly moved his sword down ward at a diagonal angle. With the cross guard of his weapon, Knight trapped robin's staff. Then, Knight brought the pommel of his sword behind Robin's knee and drew it back, knocking Robin from his feet. Then Knight stood over, Robin the point of his bade looming ever so close to his face. "Enough, "Robin said, panting from exertion, "You've passed with flying colors." Robin looked around, amazed as the fact finally sank in that Knight had single handedly defeated the Teen titans.


	9. Chapter 9

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 9- initiation **

The Titans returned to the living. Each of them was sour, sore from their defeat and though they tried to hide it, they were angry with Knight. Strangely enough, it was Raven who first spoke to Knight," That was pretty amazing." She avoided eye contact. Raven felt more attracted to Knight then she realized. She had never really been in love. With Melchior, there was a spark, and she felt that spark again with Knight. But her emotions were dangerous and she steeled herself. Raven had no idea if love would excite her powers and yet, when she looked into Knight's eyes, she wanted to be near him. She wanted to be near him and no one else. "My net did not harm you I trust?" "No." raven replied. "The landing was less then pleasant though." Knight apologized; "I had hoped that I would I wouldn't have to fight the titans, but I had to do what I had to do." After their brief conversation knight turned and walked toward Robin, who was skulking over his defeat. "So," Knight began, does this make me a titan. "Not quite" Robin replied, a small smile touched his face as he knew what would happen next. "You haven't passed your initiation." Beast boy and Cyborg approached "OH YEAH!" Beast boy said," it's payback time!" Knight immediately drew his blade and took a defensive stance. "Don't worry, that's not how initiation works." said Cyborg.

Half an hour later, Knight stood at the entrance to Titan's tower. "MUST I do this?" grumbled Knight. The other titans all nodded and then they hid around the corner. Knight sighed, he hoped this was worth it. Knight wore a pink too-too over his armor, as well as bunny ears and a fake arrow on the top of his helm. After maybe three minute of waiting, the doorbell rang, Knight opened it. "Hey, I gotta large cheese for-"The deliveryman looked up, bewildered at the armored clown that stood before him. "I love you, you love me…" Knight began. By the time he had finished reciting the Barney theme song, the pizza guy was still staring. Knight sighed. "Just gimme the damn pizza" he said gruffly. "And go enroll yourself in a witness protection program!" With that, Knight slammed the door shut. The other titans then burst out laughing. After a few minutes of uncontrollable laughter, Robin turned to Knight, "OK, ok. Here you- (another small giggle) here you go. You're officially a teen-titan."

Raven tried to get closer to Knight over the next few days. It didn't take him long to move in and when he did, he spent most of his time in his new room. Knight was fairly anti-social and he rejected human contact for reading, or working on his numerous armor-related projects. Raven overheard a conversation between Cyborg and Knight. Knight explained how his armor was pattern welded (whatever that meant) of the strongest titanium alloys, which rendered the suit almost indestructible. Once or twice, Raven even took a peak in his room. The place was decently sized, and most of it was dominated by his workshop. And anvil stood in the center of the room, with a small forge in the corner. The walls were adorned with swords, axes, shields, and many other medieval related weapons. There was a workbench on the far side of the room that was strewn with various hammers and half fished pieces of armor. She saw a few mannequins with suits of armor on them from varying centuries. Overall, Knight's behavior resembled Raven's to a great extent. Raven was hopeful that this would mean they understood each other. One day, Raven got tired of waiting. She went down to Knight's room, and knocked on his door.


	10. Chapter 10

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 10- Origins**

Raven Knocked on Knight's door. After a few minutes, there was still no response. She could her muffled hammering from inside his room, so she bit her lip slightly and knocked again, a little louder. This time, the muffled hammering ceased, there was a moment's pause, then Knight opened his door. Raven suddenly felt embarrassed, "I, um, wanted to talk to you, may I come in?" Knight looked down at Raven. He wasn't feeling very sociable, If it had been any of the other titans, he probably would have to told them that he wasn't much for conversation. Knight had been reclusive, though the other titans were annoyed by this, they kept their mouths shut, even Beast boy, prideful as he was, admitted that Knight's skill and prowess had made their recent battles much easier. Knight stepped aside, and admitted raven into his room. Raven looked around. There was a new mannequin, it was adorned with a half finished suit of armor. "So," Knight began, "what's on your mind." Raven watched him as he walked over to his anvil and inspected the half shaped piece of metal that lay upon it. She thought he moved very gracefully, even though he was encumbered by his armor. "I just, um…" Raven tried to think of some sort of conversation, and then she got an idea. "I was wondering how you came to be, you know, a knight." Knight dropped the metal he was holding, for a moment he just stared, blankly at the ground. It was only for a moment though, he snapped out of it and reached down, replacing the metal on his anvil. Judging from his reaction, Raven had hit a nerve, a sore spot. She felt so embarrassed and sorry, like she just wanted to melt into the floor and never return. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was-" Knight cut her apology short "Its fine, I… I really should tell somebody." He walked over and sat down on is bed. He then gestured with his armored hand for Raven to sit down next to him.

"It all started a couple years ago" Knight began, "I was fourteen when it happened. My career as an armorer had just begun. I had constructed a suit of armor from the fourteenth century and I was showing it to my social studies class in high school." He gestured to one of his mannequins. The suit he pointed out was battered, and looked as though it had weathered a real battle. Knight continued, "All of a sudden, the entire school went into lock down. I overheard some radio chatter between the teacher and the office. The reason was that terrorists armed with machetes were attacking the private school down the road and that they had already slain one of the students. Back then, bullets were beyond the abilities of my suits but machetes I could handle. I threatened the teachers with death if they would not let me go to help, the cops were either killed or too far off to be of any assistance and I was these poor kid's last hope. I arrived within minutes to see ten men, trying to break into the school, kid's were screaming, some poor fellow must have been caught outside because he was lying in a pool of his own blood, still as the dead of night. I charged with my long sword and fought them, but I was inexperienced, and they quickly got the better of me. It hurt, you know. I wasn't wearing any padding and their blows rained down like hail on me. It hurt more and more until… something broke inside me. Deep down I felt a rage, my blood felt as though it was boiling and then, I went berserker for the first time. I lost control, and I killed them. All but one, his name was Seth, he looked like their leader, so I spared him. I bludgeoned him with the pommel of my sword, hopping the authorities would interrogate him."

"So that's the reason why you became Knight?" asked Raven. "No", knight replied " My story gets much worse."


	11. Chapter 11

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 11- Cursed**

"At first, things looked good." Knight continued. "I lived in a small town with little to no claim to fame, so they hailed me as a hero. The mayor really played up the whole event, trying to get it on national news; but I never really wanted the attention. But, all was not well. Seth escaped with the help of his terrorist cohorts. I was marching at the head of a parade one day, with my immediate family directly behind me, and… the sniper opened fire. It turns out that I had killed many of Seth's family in my attack, and he wanted to do the same for me. One by one, everyone I knew. Friends, family, even acquaintances, they were all gone in a matter of months. Eventually, I had gained quite a bit of inheritance. I knew that one day Seth would come for me, so I used the money I had and I bought up the strongest titanium alloys in existence, and I forged them into this suit. I knew it was only a matter of time for the child protection agency to come and try to haul me off to some foster home, so I disappeared. Bought a motorcycle, took my suit and I left. The state took care of my affairs until such time as I came of age. I spent years on the road, learning form masters of medieval martial arts, becoming Knight. Recently I returned to gain access to my workshop, and then I met you."

Raven just sort of stared, not saying anything. Even for her, this was depressing. "It's probably best if you leave." Knight said, "I would prefer to be alone right now." With that he ushered Raven out the door, and resumed pounding out his armor.

In the coming weeks, Knight became a recluse. He never really spoke, ate his meals in his room, and the only time he was seen was out on missions. Even then he hardly spoke, and he fought more brutally. Once, he had Dr. light defeated. Knight picked the villain up by his throat and slammed against the wall, Knight drew back his armored fist and Dr. light cowered in fear. "Stop!" shouted Robin. Knight released his grip on the Dr, letting him fall to the ground in a heap. "Who wants pizza?" shouted Cyborg. Knight just walked past him, bumping him with his shoulder, and then he mounted his bike and sped off. The other titans grew tired of Knight, and tensions were high. Knight threatened to leave. One day, the sirens once again blared in titan's tower. All the titans assembled, all except Knight, who was nowhere to be seen. "Damn it!" Robin said, "We don't have time for this! Raven, go find Knight, you can meet up with us later." Raven flew down the hall. She feared the worst, in her mind she could visualize Knight taking his own life, consumed by his grief. When she reached Knight's room, the door was locked. Dark energy sprung from Raven's hand and the lock opened. She rushed inside. Knight lay on his stomach in the center of the room, unmoving.


	12. Chapter 12

**Knight and day **

**Chapter 12- Personal Demons**

With great effort, Raven flipped Knight over, she could see he was breathing, but his breath was foul and he was unconscious. A bottle of vodka lay on the floor, a few feet away. Raven was disgusted, and yet, she knew Knight. It saddened her to see him sink so low. Despite her conflicted feelings, Raven was still angry. She smacked Knight across his unarmored face, hard. It did little to rouse him. She used her powers to carry Knight to her room. She prepared a small circle of candles, then she went to the living room and got a glass of cold water. She returned and poured it on his head. Knight sputtered and awoke, to see Raven scowling down at him. "What were you thinking?!" She shouted. Now that he could feel it, she smacked him again. Then Raven went to a large black chest and began sifting through it, looking for some magical item. "Raven, I-""SHUT UP!" she shouted at Knight, a little more harshly than she intended too. Finally, she found what she was looking for. It was a small hand mirror, its edges were adorned with viscous looking spikes and red jewels. She turned around to see Knight, his eyes were wide as he stared at the vicious looking mirror, regarding it as though it was a device of torture. "This mirror will allow me to enter your mind, once I see what is going on, I can help you deal with your emotion." Raven said. "Thanks, but I don't need any hel-" Raven snapped at him, "Do you really think you'll find the help you need at the bottom of a bottle! I've spent years controlling my emotions, it's time you learned." Knight looked down; shame in his face. "Now," Raven began," look into the mirror." Knight held the mirror with one hand and stared back at his own reflection. As he did so, Raven kneeled behind him and placed her fore and index finger against his temple. There was a flash of light, and then darkness.

When Raven opened her eyes, she was standing on a hill. The hill overlooked a gloomy forest that seemed a vast as the eye could see. The sky was a dismal grey. She saw a small path before her, and she started down it. By the time she had reached the tree line, it had begun to drizzle. She pulled up her cowl and started into the forest. After a few minutes of walking, she found Knight or at least, his likeness. His armor was different, it was old and rusted. "Wait!" Raven called, Knight turned toward her, and as he did so his eyes widened and he darted off into the trees. Raven followed; even flying she had trouble keeping up with the strange incarnation of her friend. When she at last caught up with him, he was in a clearing. He sat on a pedestal of stone, eyes closed, meditating. Above him, the sky twisted and turned, it changed from the grey sky to an image. She looked up and watched Knight drink down the last of his vodka, she watched herself slap him. She saw Knight, without his armor. He was younger, he was skinny and weak, and he was bullied and pushed around. Then, Raven realized what this meant; she had found Knight's shame. She continued down the path, encountering his other emotions, each wore a different armor that correlated with what the emotion was. At last, she had seen nearly all of him. Her surroundings changed, all around her, fog drifted in, deep, thick fog that she could not see through. A shadow moved in the gloom. She turned fearfully, something moved again. "Hello?" she called. She received no answer and she ran, faster and faster through the trees. Suddenly she tripped and fell over something. She looked; it was another Knight, deep in, meditation. His armor was not rusted, but it was unpolished and grey. The fog cleared, and the sky above changed once again. It was Knight's loneliness. She saw him sitting alone in his empty house, watched him get rejected by numerous girls during his younger life, and then Raven saw her. A girl finally said yes. She was pretty, Raven thought. Raven watched Knight and the young girl spend time together, she saw Knight's first kiss, and Raven watched the poor girl die. It was horrific as the bullet tore through her head, and her limp body fell at Knight's feet. The sky shifted, and was grey once more. Raven, shaken from her vision, continued down the final stretch of the path. As she turned around, the sky changed again. It showed Raven, but she did not see it. After following the last stretch of the path, she came upon a sheer cliff, with two Knights battling at its edge. One was wore black armor, decorated with red and covered in evil looking spikes. The other Knight was clad in armor of polished steel, beautifully adorned with brass. They fought, neither one gaining any advantage over the other. It was the struggle between good and evil inside Knight, and inside everyone. Raven had seen enough, she closed her eyes, and returned to the real world.


	13. Chapter 13

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 13- the Truth Revealed**

"I'm sorry" Raven said as she returned from her trip into Knight's mind, "I shouldn't have been so hard on you, I didn't know… about her." Knight knew exactly who Raven was referring to. "No, that's no excuse, I deserved that smack." He rubbed his jaw slightly "you know, you can smack pretty good."  
Raven still felt awful, the one woman Knight had loved in his tragic past, and she had died right in front of him. "May I ask," Raven began, "what was her name?" "Christina" Knight replied. Over the next few hours, Raven taught Knight how to control his emotions, rather than be controlled by them. The two meditated together until Robin knocked on the door. Raven roused from her trance and opened the door to reveal Robin, covered in purple goo. "Plasmus" Raven said. "The one and only, so why was Knight out of commission?" Knight collected himself and stood up, "Robin, I… I did something terrible" he began. As Knight was about to confess how he had drunk himself to sleep Raven cut in"… I found Knight, his helmet was stuck, and it took awhile getting it off." Robin raised one eyebrow, "See that it doesn't happen again."

Over the next few weeks, Raven and Knight had regular sessions of meditation. Knight grew more able to get over his past, and as a result he grew more sociable. Once or twice he played game station with the other male titans, walked silky with Starfire, and he talked and ate his meals with the other titans. As it turned out, Knight was a pretty funny guy and he could make everyone laugh easily, more importantly though, Knight spent increasing amounts of time with Raven. Every day they meditated, talked, and discussed books they read and adventures they had. "You fought a DRAGON!?" Knight said, quite amazed. "Sure did" Raven replied. Knight looked over at the chest that contained the book she had spoken of. Knight turned to see Raven with DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT written all over her face. Knight just smiled. Then the alarm went off. This time, all the titans were ready.

Knight and his allies ran to the garage. Robin mounted his cycle, Cyborg and Raven got in the T-car and Starfire just flew. Knight mounted his own motor cycle. It was sleek and silver, the name "Warhorse" was painted on its side and on the opposite side was a lance, held in place by two straps. The group sped off. "All right team," Robin said as he came over their intercom "Looks like the original H.I.V.E. five are back, and doing a little late night shopping at the jewelry store. As they sped closer to their target, they could see mammoth standing guard. "I got him" said Knight as he lifted his lance out of the straps and hefted it into place underneath his arm. He sped up and angled his weapon just right. The tip was blunt, and the wooden shaft was meant to shatter on impact. "Uh, guys, the titans are UGH!" Mammoth's sentence was shortened as Knight's lance found its mark, striking him directly in the chest. Splinters of wood flew everywhere, and although Mammoth was a huge monster of a man, the impact was massive, sending him flying back. Knight turned his cycle 45 degrees, quickly decelerating and parking at the same time. In the same motion he jumped of his bike and drew his great sword, charging straight for Private HIVE. Each of the titans chose their opponents. Cyborg immediately went after Gizmo, Jinx and Raven did battle, and Robin and Beast boy attacked See-more. "So," Jinx began, fighting as she did so, "who's the new guy, I'll bet he's cute under all that armor." Raven growled angrily and sent a cash register flying toward Jinx. "Ah, so he IS cute, you like him don't you." Raven again gave her no reply but instead created a hole in the ground beneath Jinx. Jinx leaped away nimbly, "Wait," she said," are you even capable of liking people? Or do you just not have that emotion." Raven roared and sent what must be a hundred pieces of debris flying straight towards Jinx. Meanwhile Knight was locked in his battle with private HIVE. HIVE was losing the battle; he raised his shield to block yet another overhead sword stroke, grunting in pain under the weight of Knight's attack. Knight was clever, HIVE didn't know it but Knight was just toying with him, trying to wear down his defenses. Knight struck at Private's left, and he moved his shield in place to block it. Knight struck at Private HIVE's left again, but this time a little farther away. In turn, HIVE had to move his shield further away from his body in order stop the blow. Knight struck once more, even further too HIVE's left, then he quickly switched and drove the cross guard of his weapon hard into HIVE's exposed right flank. Private HIVE collapsed in and unconscious heap. With his enemy defeated Knight rushed to the aid of Raven, who was at stalemate with Jinx. The two were hurling spells at each other as Knight charged in, sword at the ready. He swung at Jinx, but she was fast and she dodged the blow. Then they began a series of cuts and dodges. "It's like we're dancing," Jinx commented, "Will you be MY knight in shining armor?" Raven took advantage of Jinx's distraction to send a rather large piece of concrete in her direction; she saw it at the last second and leaped to the side, barley avoiding Knight's simultaneous attack. "You really should learn some MANNERS!" waves of energy flew from Jinx's hand and they hit Knight squarely in the chest, causing a large explosion and clouding everything in dust. "There goes your boyfriend" Jinx said, smirking at Raven. Jinx was surprised to see a crossbow bolt bury itself in the wall next to her. She turned to see Knight rising from a pile of rubble as the smoke cleared and her face was awestruck, but only for a moment. She smirked, "you missed" she said. Knight pointed to the bolt, Jinx looked around and the bolt began to emit a fast paced beeping, she ducked for cover, but she was caught off guard and the resounding explosion sent her flying to the ground, knocked out. By then the other titans had defeated their own adversaries. The police showed up moments later, and the team headed home.


	14. Chapter 14

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 14- The Prong! **

The day after the titan's battle with the HIVE five was fairly normal for Raven. She awoke at seven in the morning. She ate breakfast with Knight, who was the only other early riser, he had made pancakes and the two made small talk as they ate. Then, Knight left to go work on his latest piece of armor and Raven left to go read her book. Her reading took up most of her morning. She ate lunch, then fought in combat practice until around two o' clock. She then returned to her book for awhile. She looked up at the clock, it read 3:55. Knight was due for their daily mediation any minute now. Raven tried to read, wishing time would go faster. She heard a knock on the door, "Come in" Raven said. But it was not Knight who walked into the room. It was Starfire; she burst into Raven's room shouting, "The prong, the prong! Raven raised one eyebrow, "the prong?" she asked. Starfire answered her question eagerly, "Robin has asked me to go to the prong with him! The celebration of young, adolescent relationships!" With that, everything was clear to Raven. "I think you mean the prom. But we don't go to a school so we don't have a prom." Starfire spent the next minute or so explaining to Raven that a local school had invited the Teen Titans to attend their prom as guests of honor, and she elatedly spoke of how Robin asked her to go. Hearing this, Raven saw an opportunity.

Raven bit her lip slightly, relationships were hardly her specialty. "Um, Star?" Raven asked, "I kind of need your advice. You see, there's this guy, tall, handsome, smart-""HOORAY!" Starfire shouted, "You must reveal to me the identity of this attractive crush of yours!" Raven collected herself, it was time she confronted her feelings," … I want to ask out Knight." A great smile spread across Starfire's face," OH! This is new most wonderful; we must inform our armored friend!" Starfire took Raven by the hand and attempted to lead her away. Raven yanked herself out of Starfire's grasp and dark magic sprung from her hand, closing the door and blocking Starfire's exit. "No!" Raven said, a little more forcefully than necessary, "Look, I don't know how dating works on your planet; but here, things are more… complicated. I'm just so… introverted and dark, I doubt Knight would be interested in me." Raven looked depressed. Starfire cocked her head at Raven, "But Knight is also introverted and dark, his walls are covered in weapons most brutal, and he hardly ever talks to anyone, except you." Raven tried to say something, and then stopped, her logic was defeated. "I just want…" She began "could you talk to him for me? Find out if he would consider taking me to the prom?" Starfire smiled and hugged Raven, "For you I would do anything." Raven's spirit's lifted a little, a rare occasion. "Just don't tell him what you know, okay?" Raven heard another knock on her door. "Yes?" she asked.

Knight stood in the doorway, he was fully aware of the prom, though he had not been listening to Raven and Star's conversation. Behind his back he held a piece of armor/jewelry he had made for Raven. It consisted of overlapping steel scales riveted to a leather backing; the scales were heat colored to a dark blue, Raven's favorite color. "Hey," Knight said. Raven blushed a little at his voice, so deep and warm. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" Starfire did her best to cover for Raven, "NO! Not at all, we were just discussing the prom and how raven wants to-"Starfire looked at Raven, who subtlety shook her head. "- go with, uh… Beast boy!" Raven's eyes widened for a moment as what just happened sunk in, then her eyes narrowed and she gave Starfire a look of pure malice. "Oh, Beast boy…" Knight's voice trailed off. "Congratulations" He said, then he turned and walked away, talking careful notice that Raven did not see the armor he had made for her. As soon as he left, Raven turned to Starfire, "GET OUT" Raven said, through clenched teeth. Star backed out of Raven's room as though she was cornered by a tiger. Raven's eyes glowed, her door slammed shut and books went flying all across her room.


	15. Chapter 15

**Knight and Day**

**Chapter 15- Rectifying errors**

Knight walked into his room and angrily slammed the door shut, something he had not done since he was a small child. He tossed Raven's neck piece on his bed. It was a piece of armor called a gorget, that covered the front and back of the neck, and Knight had put an awful lot of effort into it. There were perhaps a hundred or more scales on its surface and each one had to be riveted on separately; it was based off an old Polish armor called karacena. Even back in the day, only the wealthiest of nobility could afford such armor as it was so labor intensive. _I was so STUPID! _Knight thought to himself. _To think a girl as beautiful as Raven would go to the prom with ME! I've never been anything more than a medieval nerd!_

Meanwhile, Starfire was running down the hall, tears in her eyes. She ran right into Robin, and threw herself in his arms. "Oh Robin!" she sobbed, "I fear I may have ruined the celebration of young adolescent relationships for both Raven AND Knight!" She cried some more. Robin was confused, he tried to console her, "It's alright, I'm sure there is a solution." Starfire ceased her tears and told Robin what had happened, just minutes earlier. For once, Robin looked genuinely stumped by the situation. "Don't worry guys!" Cyborg stepped into the room. "I heard the WHOLE thing and I think I know just what to do. But first, we have to get rid of Beast boy, if e finds out what Star said, we could have serious problems."

Beast boy was blissfully unaware of the situation as he battled away on the game station, racing his tiny space ship against some unknown opponent. "Quickly!" Robin shouted as he burst into the room, doing his best acting. "Beast boy, there's disturbance on the other side of town, I need you to check it out." Beast boy shut off his console, "Right, let's go!" Robin didn't move. "Wait," Beast boy asked, "Aren't you coming?" Robin lost his composure for a moment trying to think of what to say. "NO, uh… it's a scouting mission!" Beast boy looked confused, "Then why are you sending me? I mean Starfire can fly, and Raven can-"Robin lost patience, "Just GO!" he shouted. "All right, fine I'll go" Beast boy exclaimed, he morphed into a sparrow and flew out an open window. "Whew" Robin said," so Cyborg, what's this plan of yours?"

Cyborg's plan was simple, sort of. Cyborg and Starfire were to go to Raven's room and find some way of getting her in front of Knight's door. At the same time, Robin had to go to Knight's room and get him to confess his feelings for Raven at exactly six o' clock. God willing, Raven would be right outside, she would hear Knight and then accept his invitation to the prom, solving everyone's problem! "But," Robin started, "Knight's room is sound proofed, to drown out his hammering, what am I supposed to do?" Cyborg glanced at the display in his arm, "Dude, its 5:55 FIGURE SOMETHING OUT!" And with that they sped off in separate ways towards their objectives.

Knight stood alone in his room, hammering out the finishing touches on his latest suit of armor. He heard a knock on the door, and quickly hid the unfinished armor in his closet before opening the door to see Robin, who was smiling sort of awkwardly." Heeyy," Robin began, "I need to talk to you." Knight started to close the door, "now is not a good time." Robin wedged himself in the doorway, "NO! this is important!" Knight looked surprised to see Robin so eager to talk to him; he opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Robin in. "Very well, what is it we need to discuss?" Meanwhile Raven faced a similar confrontation. "YOU HAVE… TO SEE… THIS AWESOME… THING!" Starfire said grunting with exertion. Starfire was using all her strength to keep Raven's door open, while Raven was using her powers to shut it. "I said NOT NOW!" Raven shouted. Cyborg was fed up, "ENOUGH!" he screamed. "YOU ARE GOING TO SEE THIS AWESOME THING IF IT KILLS ME!" Raven finally conceded, she released her grip on the door. Starfire was sent flying as there was suddenly no resistance to her massive force. Raven threw up her cowl, and followed her friends in front of Knight's room. "So, what's this super-amazing-it can't possible wait thing you want to show me?" Raven asked. "Oh you'll see it in a minute." Cyborg said, glancing at his arm. The time was 5:59. "ANY MINUTE NOW!" Cyborg was nearly shouting.

Inside, Robin heard Cyborg, and the clock finally struck six. "So why aren't you going to the prom?" Knight looked at Robin and sighed, "I was going to go with Raven but she-"" What?" Robin said, cutting him off. "I was going to go with Raven but-"" WHAT?" Robin asked again. "Damn it, Robin are you deaf!? I WAS GOING TO ASK RAVEN TO THE PROM BUT SHE'S GOING WITH BEAST BOY!" Knight was screaming, genuinely aggravated. The door opened, "I accept." said Raven, who was standing in the doorway; behind her, Cyborg and Starfire high-fived. "Wait, really? But I thought-"Knight stammered, and Starfire cut in, "A slight mistake on my part, I am sorry." Knight was confused, but happy. The other titans left, congratulating Cyborg on the success of his plan; leaving only Knight and Raven. Knight turned for a moment and rummaged through a chest. He pulled out the armor he had made for Raven. "I was going to ask you more…normally." Knight said. "-so I made this for you." He produced the piece and handed it to Raven. She held it, "You made this… for me?" She asked. "No one has ever… this must have taken you forever to make." Knight scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "It was nothing" Knight said, lying. Truthfully it had taken him nearly thirty hours to construct. Raven tried to put it on, but she needed a little help because her cloak was in the way. "Allow me" Knight said and he moved to help her, buckling the two straps that held it in place around her neck. Raven tried to hide it, but she blushed at his touch. "I'll see you in front of my room at six tomorrow night." Raven said," Oh, and you better wear something nice."


	16. Chapter 16

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 16- A Date with Destiny**

_ Finally! _Raven thought as she heard a knock on her door. Tonight was the night of the prom, and the entire day seemed to pass by at a crawl. She looked to the clock, it read six; meaning Knight was right on time. Raven didn't really own any sort of dress she could wear, so she donned the neck piece he had given her the evening before. She knew that would be enough for her date. She opened the door and was amazed to see Knight. He stood in armor as he usually did, but this suit was different. It was gothic style armor. Its surface was polished steel, unlike the usual black armor he wore, the suit was adorned with beautiful corrugations and it was shaped in graceful curves. Its edges were gilded in beautifully shined brass. Knight wore no helmet, leaving his face exposed. His brown hair was neat and combed. "When I said wear something nice" Raven said, "-this wasn't exactly what I meant. You do look good though." Knight smiled warmly, "Thanks." At his side he carried a traditional longsword with an engraved hilt, rather than his usual greatsword it was a more elegant weapon. "The others have already left, shall we?" Knight held out his hand to Raven. She took it and together they walked downstairs to the garage where Knight's motorcycle was waiting. No lance hung at its side and Knight got on. He patted the second seat and Raven straddled the bike behind him. She wrapped her arms around him. Though he was encased in a metal shell, the armor felt warm with is body heat. Knight hit the kick stand, and they went speeding off to the prom.

They arrived at a fancy hotel. Raven and Knight stepped through a revolving door into a small room. The walls were made of an off-white marble and two Corinthian pillars stood at opposite ends of the room. The other titan's were gathered with their dates. Robin turned around and saw Knight and Raven, he was taken aback for a second at Knight's appearance but then he spoke, "Wait here, they'll call us in a moment." Ahead of then stood a glass door, the glass was tinted and Knight couldn't see much; only that the main hall lay behind. An announcer came over the loud speaker, _And presenting our guests of honor, the Teen titans! With Robin and Starfire. _Star took Robin's hand and they opened the door. Still Knight's view was minimal, all he could see was people, cheering and whistling as Robin and Star walked past. _Cyborg and bumblebee! _Bumblebee had flown in from titans east just for the occasion and the couple followed after Robin. _Beast boy and Teresa!_ Teresa was a pretty blond girl whom Knight had never seen before. _And the latest addition to the titans, Knight and Raven! _Knight grimaced slightly; he hadn't been around so many people in years. Raven gave his hand a small squeeze, "Just smile and wave." With that, Knight collected himself, he held out his arm to raven and she took it, the he took a deep breath and stepped out into the crowd.

It wasn't quite as bad as he thought it would be, but Knight was still very uncomfortable. He saw rows of people behind the velvet ropes that lined the carpet down the hall. He stared straight ahead, seeing nothing but Beast boy's back. Then Raven gave him a small nudge and he sprang to life, smiling and waving. There was about 50 feet of this before the ropes and carpet ended in the main room. A large, exquisitely decorated cake sat on a table in the center of the room. Off to the side were tables with hors devours laid decoratively on them, and on the opposite side of the room were tables and chairs with neatly made places at each chair. At the head of the room was a dance floor where a live band played, and a few elevators beyond that. The ceiling was dominated by white and blue streamers and balloons. The overall impression was, this academy had money. Raven sat down at a table. Knight was feeling lost, not sure exactly what to do, "I'll, uh, get some punch." Knight had fought many great and glorious battles before, but getting to the hors devours was perhaps the hardest task he had ever faced. It was difficult enough weaving through the crowd, trying not to bump anyone with his sword seemed impossible. "Excuse me, pardon me, no this isn't plastic, excuse me, pardon, sorry, coming through, thank you, excuse me" Knight said as he struggled to pass. When finally reached the table the punch bowl was surrounded. "Hey, WOW! Are you really Knight? Like THE Knight!" Knight turned to see another prom-gower. He was a little shorter than Knight, his hair was pulled back in a pony tail and he was a little larger than most people. "Yeah, that's me." Knight said. He wasn't used to having any fans and it scared him a little, as he had spent years trying to be invisible. "WOW! I've seen your fights! Dude your amazing! Can I have your autograph?" The boy held out a piece of paper and a pen. As Knight signed his name, the fan-boy spoke, "Don't tell Robin I said this, but even though you're new, I bet you could take him in a fight!" Knight just smiled and handed the fan is autograph. It was the worst mistake he made all night. Once he signed an autograph he was mobbed with requests. It took Knight half an hour to get back to his table where Raven sat. There were other young men there, handsomer than Knight and they were doing their best to cozy up to Raven. Raven tried to be polite but Knight could see she was just annoyed. After he had finally shooed away Raven's would-be boyfriends and gave Raven her punch he was exhausted. "Do you want to get some fresh air?" asked Raven. "I would kill for some fresh air." replied Knight.


	17. Chapter 17

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 17- A Knight to remember**

Raven led to Knight to the elevators, while she knew they probably weren't supposed to leave the lobby; they had to get away from the mob downstairs. She hit the button and the doors opened to reveal the interior. Brass railing ran around the inside of the small room and the walls were covered in expensive looking dark wood. She pressed the button for the roof. As soon as the doors opened again, Raven and Knight stepped out into the cool night air. There was a pool to the right, and a few small trees. Knight walked to the edge of the roof and looked out over the city, Raven floated over to him. The roof gave an impressive view of downtown, though not as impressive as Titan's tower. Knight frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" Raven asked. "You know," Knight began, "A long time ago there was a normal kid named Andrew. He liked medieval stuff, and he tried to help. But a lot of bad stuff happened to that poor kid and now… I don't think he exists anymore." Raven inched closer to him, "I wouldn't want anybody next to me but you." Raven slid her hand behind Knight's neck and kissed him. Knight stiffened at first, surprised. But then he slid into it and kissed her back, deeply. His arms slid around her waist. Just then, the elevator doors opened and there was a small ding. Knight and Raven withdrew from each other but it was too late. Robin stood in the door, he had seen them. He was holding Starfire in his arms and she giggled. "Well," Robin said, drunk off nothing but his own emotions, "Go Knight!" Starfire jumped out of Robin's arms and led him to the other side of the roof, out of sight of Raven.

Raven and Knight didn't say much, although a small smile touched Knight's lips. They just stood there, looking out over the city they had fought so hard to protect. It was beautiful at night, the huge buildings arcing toward the sky, light up by a thousand lights. Raven gave Knight a hug, he hugged her back. She withdrew a little so she could see Knight's face, her arms still on his shoulders, and his hands still on her waist. "Maybe we should go back to the tower, it has a better view." Raven suggested. With her energy she created a small platform for them to stand on, then they floated down to the bottom of the hotel, avoiding the huge crowd that lurked within. Raven once more straddled Knight's bike and they sped off to where they had come from.

When they arrived, Raven went with Knight to his room, where he took off his armor. Neither of them really knew what to say, it had seemed as though everything happened so fast, so they just embraced. Finally each had found someone in the world who really understood them, and for the first time in a long time, Knight was happy. It seemed as though his problems vanished …until Raven screamed. She heard the glass of Knight's window braking as someone tossed a small metal cylinder into the room. For a moment nothing happened, then the cylinder started spewing gas. "Don't (cough) breathe the (cough) gas!" Knight tried to say, but Raven had already collapsed on the floor. Knight's legs grew weak and he fell to one knee, coughing and gagging from the smoke. Then, Knight's vision began to blur, the world moved in and out of focus. Within minutes he lost consciousness, and darkness claimed him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 18- May Death Take You**

When Knight awoke, he was groggy. It took a moment for his vision to clear. He looked around; he could see several armed men. He was sitting in a chair but he was not secured down, the reason why chilled his bones. An armed man sat next to Raven, a few feet away, she was gagged, and the man had his gun pointed directly at her. Knight's eyes widened; what could he do? He instinctively reached for his dagger, but he remembered he had left his armor and weapons at the tower. The warehouse was dark and empty. There were a few crates scattered around, and motorcycles at the far end of the room.

"I thought we had a deal." said an unseen voice, a voice Knight knew all too well. "You get to live, and I make sure your alone and miserable for the rest of your days." Knight scowled, "Seth" he said. Seth stepped into the light. He was tall; he had a small goatee, and evil looking black eyes. His hair was black, and his face was covered in scars, some of which Knight had given him. "I spared you!" Knight said angrily. "WHY!?" Seth screamed; madness in his voice. Seth moved in closer to Knight, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, "Why did you leave me to suffer?" Knight spat in his face, "You were gonna hack up little kids, I left you alive so the police would have someone to interrogate!" Seth released his hold on Knight. "I'm going to kill everyone you will ever know, but first, I'm gonna make you bleed!" Seth once more drew closer to Knight, taking a switch blade from his pocket. He flicked the blade open, and pressed the point against Knight's forehead, just above his right eyebrow, he drew the blade down, making careful notice not to cripple his eye, until there was a line of blood extending from his forehead to his cheek. Knight did nothing. He did not even flinch; he just stared back at Seth with a face of stone. For a moment, Knight could see a hint of fear in Seth's eyes, as though he thought Knight was not even human. "So be it" Seth said, "Kill the girl." Knight turned, he saw Raven's eyes widen. "NO!" Knight screamed but it was too late. The gunman aimed and fired directly into Raven's stomach.

Raven screamed, but it was muffled by her gag. Knight got up and ran over to her. The other gunman aimed, ready to fire, by Seth dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Knight cradled Raven in his arms; blood welled from her stomach as he removed her gag. "Go," she said weakly, "there's nothing you can do for me." Knight looked down. His hands were shaking, his blood began to boil; he could feel it coming; the rage. Tiny drums of war beat in his mind and adreline rushed through him, a gift from his Viking ancestors. "If god had wanted you dead" Knight said, "-he would not have created me!"

With that he swung Raven over his shoulder and started a mad dash for the motor cycles. The terrorists opened fire, Knight presented himself to the bullets in order to shield Raven, he ducked and dodged, but it was a suicide sprint. He got closer to the bikes as he took glancing wounds, bullets and energy bolts seared and tore through his flesh, but he could not feel them. He was too focused on his goal. A bullet tore through his leg and yet still he limped on. Finally, he reached the cycles. Someone had been confident enough to leave the keys in the ignition, and Knight straddled the bike with Raven on is back. She gave him a small squeeze to indicate she was still alive. The engine revved, and he went flying through the warehouse; the doors were closed ad locked. "Brace yourself!" Knight shouted, barely audible over the roaring gunfire, he closed his eyes as the bike smashed through the wooden doors, sending splinters everywhere. He could hear the other cycles roar to life as his adversaries pursued him. This bike wasn't quite as fast as the _Warhorse _and within minutes he found himself pushing it to its limits as he flew down the streets towards Titan's Tower. Raven tried to speak, "In my room… top shelf… potion… healing." Knight got the message but his assailants were right behind him. Knight knew there was only one way to lose them.

Knight took an unexpected turn away from the tower, turning 90 degrees down a side street. Many of the terrorists were not as skilled riders as he was and they went careening off their bikes as they tried to replicate is turn. Unfortunately for Knight, the vast majority of his enemies made it. Knight picked up more and more speed, he could feel Raven's grip on him loosening and he knew he was running out of time. It was still dark out as he turned onto the bridge over the tower. None would try to do what he was about to. He put the bike as fast as it would go, directly at the side of the bridge. Raven screamed as they went flying off into the air. Knight's jump was angled well. He took Raven in his arms and jumped off the bike, landing with a thud on the roof of Titan's Tower, the bike fell into the sea with a mighty splash. Knight limped along; the terrorists had stopped on the bridge but were still trying to shoot him. Knight lingered on to the door way; it was locked. He ducked to avoid a volley of bullets, and then punched with all his strength, breaking the door down. Knight's vision began to degrade; blackness crept in around the edges of his sight. He threw open Raven's door and scrambled through her top shelf until he saw it, a small vile with a strange black liquid inside. He placed Raven on her bed. "Knight" she gasped, "Take it; it's your only hop-"She was cut off as Knight shoved the vile in her mouth. Her eyes widened and she tried to reject it but Knight plugged her nose, forcing her to drink the vile in its entirety. Raven's wound healed almost instantly, the blood drew back into her body and the wound closed. "NO!" she screamed. Knight stood before her, he knew he was going to die. His breathing was ragged and erratic, and he fell backward on Raven's bed, arms spread wide apart. She used all her power to try and heal the massive damage to his body, but none of her spells could have matched that potion. A look of peace spread across Knight's face. "…then I have not failed." He said. With that, he let out one final ragged breath, and died.


	19. Chapter 19

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 19- It's just a flesh wound!**

Raven looked down at her fallen hero. His eyes, normally so deep and warm were cold and glassy in death. Raven looked out the window at the night sky, "Then I defy you stars!" Raven screamed, and then she tried chest compressions in a desperate attempt to restart Knight's failed heart. The entire event had taken place in a matter of hours, and the other titans had no idea what had happened, until they heard Raven shout. Robin and the others burst into the room, he saw blood everywhere, and Raven trying to revive Knight. Cyborg turned to Beast boy and Starfire, "You two better leave he said," closing the door. Then, he went over to Knight's body. Cyborg shooed Raven aside and placed his metal hand on Knight's chest. Electricity shot into Knight's heart and he jolted back to life, once again breathing raggedly. "I can combine the use of my sensors and internal battery like a pace maker." Cyborg explained, "but his heart is failing and I don't know how long I can keep it going, whatever your gonna do, do it fast!" Robin took off his utility belt and laid it on the bed, taking out various medical supplies. Raven returned to her spells. She ran her hands all up and down Knight's broken body, imagining the blood seeping back into his veins and the tissues repairing themselves. Robin wrapped his wounds in gauze and did his best to stop the bleeding, but Knight was still slipping away.

In his mind, Knight was trapped in a strange dream world between life and death. He was reliving old memories. He found himself in the park with his friends on a sweltering day. They were playing some sort of game involving a person on a swing trying to kick and empty soda can as far as he could. Time shifted, and he was at the funeral of his immediate family, tears in his eyes. The sky was a grey blanket over the whole world as men in black suits lowered the coffins into the earth. His surroundings changed again and he watched Raven get shot. He saw himself hoist her onto his back and make a mad dash for the cycles. He thought of Raven. Saw her sitting in a corner, reading a book. He saw her look up and smile at him. Knight watched as he fought alongside Raven in many battles.

Outside, Cyborg was amazed to see Knight's vital signs all of a sudden change. Knight had ceased his steady decline and now he had finally begun to turn around. His heart beat at a steady tempo and while his breathing was still hard, it came at regular intervals. It took the rest of the night, but by sunrise the three titans had managed to stabilize Knight's condition. He no longer needed any help and was on the road to recovery, though he was still unconscious. Robin and Cyborg were exhausted and they left catch up on some much needed sleep. Raven stayed behind, it was her room after all. Once, she had put herself in a healing trance; she had never tried this on anyone else, but no time like the present to learn. She walked over to Knight, who was peacefully sleeping on her bed. She placed her finger on his forehead and closed her eyes, speaking a few words of magical power she drew her finger down to Knight's sternum. When she opened her eyes, Knight was levitating a few inches off the bed, gently bobbing up and down slightly. Raven sighed with relief that her spell had worked. Having no place to sleep, she bunched up her blankets on the side of her bed, and fell asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 20- Honor Bound**

Knight finally awoke. The world swirled around him for a moment and it took him a minute to realize that he was actually awake. "Ugh" he said, rubbing his aching forehead. He looked around; the clock read that it was midday on the twelfth of June, meaning he had been out for a little over a week. It took Knight great effort just to stand up, his muscles were stiff and refused to work and Knight had to steady himself on the wall. No one was around, the tower was silent. _The others must be on a mission._ Knight thought. When he looked into the mirror he was shocked. A week of inactivity had taken a toll on his appearance. His face, normally clean shaven, had the beginnings of a beard. His normally toned upper body had grown soft and his abdominal muscles were no longer visible. _Damn, there goes the chick magnet._ Knight had been trapped in his dreams for so long, he couldn't remember why he was here, then it all come flooding back to him. Raven getting shot, the daring escape, and his own death. Knight staggered as it all flooded back to him and he caught himself on Raven's door frame. _I was so stupid, so CARELESS!_ Knight thought. _Just by being here I endangered everyone! There is only one thing I can do, to keep my friends, to keep Raven safe._ Knight walked to his room. It took some time but he donned his black suit of armor. It felt heavy and unnatural, Knight had been out of the swing of things for too long and he found himself having trouble just standing. He took his greatsword and crossbow and slung them across his back. With the added weight, Knight could barely walk. He stumbled and nearly fell. He took a warhammer from his wall and used it as a cane. Knight then wrote a quick note, got on his motorcycle, and left.

"Knight!" Starfire called, "KNIGHT!" the titans had torn apart the tower searching for their lost friend. "Guys!" shouted Cyborg, "I was in Knight's room and found this note, it's addressed to Raven" Cyborg handed her the note. She took it gingerly and opened the sealed envelope.

_**Raven,**_

_**I am sorry to leave you this way. The prom was the best night of my life, but my past has caught up with me. Seth has returned, and that means that as long as I stay, none of you are safe. I nearly got you killed. I did get killed. My last resort is to go; I cannot stay with the Teen Titans. I must ask you not to try and find me, I have left for your good, not my own. However, if you truly need my help, you have only to follow the sound of my hammer. I am sorry things must be this way, but I promise on my sword, I will return.**_

_** With love,**_

_** Knight**_

Raven finally understood. "He's gone" she said. "Yeah, we know that, but why?" Cyborg asked. Raven then told the other's Knight's dark secret, how he fought Seth, how his family and friends were dead, and his curse of perpetual solitude." We must find him!" exclaimed Starfire, starting to float away, "No" Raven said, taking her hand and guiding her back down. Robin chimed in "We have to fight this, this Seth!" Raven just looked angrily at Robin. "Do you think that's an original idea? Knight wasn't a coward, if he thought there was any chance of victory he would have fought back long ago! Even the boy wonder can't take down an entire terrorist network!" Raven was shouting, and a glass of water on a nearby table glowed black, then exploded sending its contents everywhere. Raven's anger subsided "People come and go; we need to just go on without him." With that, Raven left. She walked into her bedroom, closed the door, and for the first time in a long time, she cried.


	21. Chapter 21

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 21- communications silence**

For months, Knight was not heard from or seen. The titans tried to call him on his communicator but their efforts were in vain. Knight had disappeared, again. Raven tried to forget about him, she meditated everyday on how impertinent people and things are. _He's just a boy_ Raven tried to convince herself, but she was wrong. Knight wasn't just a boy, he was THE boy. For once Raven had finally found someone who really understood her, the real her. But now he was gone and Raven was having trouble coping with that. Much like Knight once did, she retreated into herself, not really speaking to anyone. While she pretended for the world like she thought Knight would never again embrace her, she held on to his last words of hope. _I promise on my sword, I will return._

Knight stepped into the bat-cave. Batman, not even looking away from his microscope, knew who was in his presence. "What are you doing here?" the legendary Batman asked. "I heard you took my advice and joined the Titans." Knight took off his helmet. "I did, and I got myself killed" Batman turned. He was an impressive sight, tall and bulky, his cape made him seem like a living shadow. "So Seth returned?" the Bat asked. Knight nodded. "I was afraid that might happen, why didn't you take him down?" Knight grimaced slightly, "I couldn't fight him on my own terms. I was captured, I had no armor, my friend Raven was shot, it was all I could do to escape and save her. I later died of my wounds, took most of the team all night to bring me back." Batman's expression did not change. "Impressive" he said "I don't usually have conversations with those who use themselves as bullet-sponges." Knight laughed a little, but then his tone became serious. "Seth's planning something." Knight said "Seth is the covert type, there is no way he would risk a chase through the city. Whatever he's planning, it's big." Batman walked over and sat at a huge computer, the caped crusader being scouring the internet for footage of the event. He found some security camera footage of Knight's escape. "Interesting," he said "you're right, even for a terrorist he is being unusually sloppy." Knight walked over to the computer. "So you'll help?" he asked. "No." replied the Batman. Knight looked shocked, betrayed. Batman put a hand on his armored shoulder. "Before Robin left," the bat replied "he made me swear that no matter how bad things got, I wouldn't interfere. Robin wanted to be on his own, fight his own battles. Knight, stopping Seth might seem difficult, impossible even. But I trained you well, and I believe in your abilities. You have always found a solution; and this is no exception." An alarm went off and the screen of the bat computer changed to a map, with a blinking bat signal near the center. Batman turned, "Jokers attacking city hall!" Knight mounted his cycle and re-donned his helm. "One more fight together, for old time's sake. Then I have to get back to my city, I have a lot of work to do." Knight said, revving his engine.

"I'm getting tired of waiting, apprentice" said an unseen and sinister voice. Seth stood alone in a dark room, a bright light shone down from above, casting a circle of illumination around him. Beyond the circle, there was nothing but darkness. "Knight hasn't been seen or heard from for months, my sources tell me he died from his wounds." Seth tried to convince the unknown voice, "NO! He is alive! I saw him ride away on his cycle!" An angry growled emanated from the shadows, "I have indulged your personal vendetta long enough! It is time we moved forward with MY plans, with or without your vengeance." The mayor of the city was blindfolded, gagged, and tied to a computer chair as he was pushed into the light. "I'm giving you the keys to the city." The mysterious voice said, calm once more. "See that you use them wisely." The light above Seth faded, and the room was once again drowned in darkness. "Yes master" said Seth.


	22. Chapter 22

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 22- I Swear on my Sword**

Though none of them would admit it, the Titans were struggling without Knight. His tactics and prowess during missions had become essential to the team. Without him, Robin and his friends had more close calls than he would have liked. As the Titans were sitting in their living room, Beast boy finally spoke up. "All right, I admit it. I miss Knight." Beast boy was usually a creature (or creatures) of pride, hearing him admitting that he wanted help was liking hearing that monkeys had just invented a cure for cancer. Everyone looked a Beast boy. "Sure the guy wasn't very sociable, and he REALLY stunk at game station, but the place does feel empty without him." Cyborg said. "Hey Cyborg," Beast boy replied, "do you remember that time Robin left to go train or whatever, and we put on his uniforms?" Cyborg laughed, "How could I forget!" A mischievous smile crept across Beast boy's face "Knight left behind quite a few suits of armor."

"This feels quite strange" explained Starfire, her voice slightly muffled by the helm she wore. "Though I will admit the padding is most comfortable!" Cyborg leapt onto a table, sword in hand. Only a few components of armor fit onto him, but it was enough to have some fun. Beast boy on other hand wore a full suit of armor. He fought back with his own sword, but he was losing ground to Cyborg. "How does Knight fight in this stuff?" Beast boy said, panting for air. "It's not so bad" Robin said, wearing full gothic armor. "I guess he is just used to it, after all the dude practically lives in his suit." Robin stood up and aimed a bow he had borrowed from Knight's vast arsenal. He let fly an arrow that tore a piece of pizza from Starfire's hand and pinned it to the wall. "I could get used to being Robin Hood" he chuckled. "Robin!" Starfire shouted, "That is most irresponsible! That arrow could have- (she looked down at her armored body) Oh, I guess it could not have." Cyborg finally got the upper hand and he knocked Beast boy's sword from his grasp, sending it spinning end over end until someone caught it. It was Knight. Everyone stared at Knight, their eyes wide with surprise. "What the hell are you guys doing?" Knight shouted. The titans looked down at the ground in shame. "You guys seriously didn't think you could have a Titan's renaissance fair without me! Oh, and Beast boy, that suit isn't as heavy as it feels, you need to reverse the strapping at the back." With that, knight turned and started down the hall, there was someone he had to find. "Hey," BB exclaimed as he fixed the strapping "This does feel better!"

Raven sat alone in her room. She was busy meditating, and she was rather angry when she heard a knock at her door. "I said GO AWAY! I do not wish to be disturbed" Raven closed her eyes, _azuras metreon zyntos, azuras mentreon zyntos_. "All right," said the voice at the door "guess I'll just have to come back in a few months" Raven's eyes widened as she recognized Knight's voice. She ran over and threw open the door. She stared at Knight. "I'm sor-" Knight was cut off as Raven once again slapped his unarmored face. She stared for a moment or two, then took his face with both hands and kissed him. When she finally withdrew, Knight spoke. "Glad to see you haven't lost your charm." He rubbed his cheek, "I guess I should just leave my helmet on." Raven hugged him, "It's been awhile" she said. "I know" said Knight, hugging Raven back. "It was the only way I could keep you safe."

The titans assembled. Knight had some explaining to do. Everyone was gathered in the living room, except Raven. She walked in twenty minutes late, wearing one of Knight's suits of armor. He just laughed, "Don't want to feel left out eh?" as everyone else hadn't taken off their unique clothing. "But more importantly, we have to get down to business." Robin was the first to ask the big question, "Why are you back?" Knight sighed. "Leaving was the only way I could protect all of you, I laid low for awhile, trying to see if Seth might think I died, and hoping he'd leave you out of it. While I was gone, I've was making a secret weapon of sorts." All the other titans looked intrigued. "What is it?" asked Beast boy, "A giant laser, a teleporter?" Knight chuckled a little, "Nothing quite so fantastic. I doubt this place is bugged, but I still can't tell you what it is, only that it will give us the edge we need to stop Seth's plan." A look of concern crossed Robin's face, "What plan? I thought he was just after you?" Knight's brows furrowed in concentration, "That's what I thought too, but he's planning something, something big. I just know it!" Robin sat back in the couch, skeptical. "We're going to need a little more than gut feelings before we go code red." Knight slammed his fist down on the table, "I just know! Even the Batman agrees with me!" Robin suddenly stood up, surprise written all over his face, "You mean, you've talked to Batman?" Knight shrugged, "I spent a year training with him while I was abroad." Now it was the other titans turn to be surprised, and impressed. They soon found themselves distracted though, as an explosion tore through the the lower part of the tower.


	23. Chapter 23

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 23- I Told You So!**

The explosion came from the bottom of the tower, probably Seth's men blowing open the front door, Raven thought. But that wasn't as terrifying as the next sound she heard, helicopter wings. A chopper loomed in front of the titans, directly in front of their window. "GET DOWN!" Cyborg shouted. The team ran and took cover behind a counter as the chopper opened fire. The roar from its twin guns was deafening, and shards of glass went everywhere. "Time to feel what it's like to be Knight!" shouted Robin, standing up. Knight quickly pulled him down, "NO! Only my suit is strong enough to block bullets, they'll tear right through all of yours! AND YOU BETTER NOT F*** UP MY SUITS!" Raven looked over the counter; soldiers had deployed from the copter and were jumping into the room. "We've got company!" she shouted. Knight stood up, instantly he was fired upon but his armor protected him. "GO!" he shouted. "I'll rendezvous with you later!" Raven wasn't losing him again, "Where?" she asked, while she threw up some cover for her friends. "Just follow the sound of my hammer!" Knight said. After that he was too occupied with his enemies to say anything else. The titans ran down the hall towards the service elevator. Dark energy flashed from Raven's hand as she desperately tried to block any stray bullets headed their way. The elevator doors opened and every one rushed inside. There was a radio station blaring news about attacks all over the city, and the mayor being captured. "Where will we go that Seth cannot find us?" asked Starfire. All the titans looked depressed, defeated. Then, Cyborg spoke up, "Where has Knight been hiding? Follow the sound of my hammer, what does that mean?" Raven racked her brain, _follow the sound of my hammer_, Knight couldn't tell them exactly where he would be; he had given them a cryptic clue. Suddenly, a previous conversation they had stuck out in her mind. _I returned recently to gain access to my workshop_. Raven suddenly had the answer, "I know where he wants us to go" she said, "He's been hiding in his old home!" Robin gave her a funny look. "Isn't that the first place Seth would look?" It all made sense now. "Of course!" Raven explained. "It's so obvious, Seth wouldn't even bother looking. Knight has been hiding right under his nose!"

Knight, meanwhile, was a bit preoccupied. He could only hope Raven had deciphered his clue as he brought his sword down, the superior metal was made the same way as his suit and he sliced the terrorist's firearm in half. Then, Knight swept the man's legs put form under him, and at the same time bringing his armored elbow down on his head, taking care of the last of the soldiers. Of course, the chopper was still flying around, buzzing like an angry wasp. The helicopter once again leveled with the living room and sent a missile towards Knight. The explosion was massive, Knight's armor protected him from any real harm, but the force of the blast sent him tumbling into the wall like a ragdoll. Knight slammed into the far side of the room, his head swirled and he saw stars. Knight had to shake it off though; he still had to deal with the copter. Knight put his greatsword on his back and ran at the edge of the window, and then he jumped, drawing his dagger. He flew though the air and drove his dagger deep into the hull of the helicopter before swinging himself inside. It was time to die, again. He strode up to the pilot, "Care for a swim?" Knight asked has he grabbed the unfortunate man and threw him out towards the bay below. Knight took the control and he angled the copter down, towards the island. He was betting that his suit would help him survive the crash. _Seth has to think I'm dead_. He thought. Knight looked at the ground which was getting awfully close. Knight moved to the back of the chopper, he took hold of whatever he could and braced himself. Knight closed his eyes and thought about Raven. _Whenever you have to risk your life, close your eyes and visualize what is most important to you, what you're fighting for._ He remembered the Batman's words as the helicopter smashed into the rock, and exploded.


	24. Chapter 24

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 24- House Guests**

"Everyone into the T-car, now!" Cyborg shouted. That helicopter was still around and the titans had to get to Knight's old house, and fast. Raven scrambled into the back seat and strapped herself in. "You know where his old place is, right?" asked Robin as they went speeding out of the garage. Around them the city was under attack, police officers fought with masked terrorists. But there was nothing the titans could do, there were outnumbered and out maneuvered. The best plan now was to get to Knight's rendezvous point, regroup, come up with a plan, and find out what this secret weapon was. "It's in the country, north of town" Raven said. The team sped off, away from the battle and into the rural areas. They drove for what was probably 45 minutes, but to everyone it seemed like hours. Their spirits were down, and no one felt like talking. Suddenly, Raven spoke up. "There" she said "turn up here." Raven recognized the moderately sized house from Knight's descriptions of the place during their many previous conversations. Cyborg turned and headed up the driveway. The house hadn't been taken care of in years and it looked like it.

It was a medium sized house, with two floors, and attic and a basement. The door was locked, so Raven merely flicked her hand, a spark of energy clicked in the key hole, and the door opened. It revealed a bleak interior. The room was decorated in a Victorian style, but the white paint on the walls had faded, there was decorative wood work around the edges of the ceiling, painted a deep red. Limited furniture was arranged about the house, covered in white clothes. Raven did a bit of exploring. Thankfully there was still power to the house. The door to Knight's workshop was locked, though Raven chose to leave it shut until Knight returned, if he returned. She went up stairs and found Knight's room. There was a decent amount of furniture, and it had been left like it was the day Knight disappeared. The floor was made of wood, it looked beat up and old. On the wall to Raven's right was a dresser. There was a lamp on it, and a picture. She picked the picture up, it was Knight's family. His father looked strong and dignified; his mother was aged, but still beautiful. In the lower corner was his little sister; she smiled at the camera with bright teeth and cute, blond hair. Knight too was in the picture. He looked younger, less muscular. His hair was combed and he wore normal clothing rather than armor. She put the picture back where it had lain. There wasn't much else in the room. There was a table with an idle computer on it, and a single suit of armor on a mannequin off to the side. His bed was neatly made and an axe hung on the wall above the head board.

After Raven and the other titans had finished exploring, they all gathered in the living room and helped each other take off the armor they had borrowed from Knight. Hours passed, and still nothing was heard from him. Raven borrowed a book from his extensive collection and tried to content herself with reading, but she was worried about her friend. Darkness fell, and still Knight did not return. There was some canned food in the cupboard, Robin cooked it and the titans ate in silence, until Knight finally came trudging through the door. He looked as though he had just been though hell. His armor was covered in black soot. "Do you have any idea" Knight stammered, exhausted "how long its gonna take to polish this crap off?!" All the titans left their meal and went to greet their comrade. They all looked relieved. Beast boy immediately went up to Knight, "So what's this secret weapon? It had better be good!" Knight shooed him away, then strode over to the entrance to his workshop. He lifted the welcome mat underneath it and withdrew a key. When he opened the door, all the titans piled inside. The shop was fairly large, there were several tables with half finished pieces of armor on them, as well as various hammers and chisels, among other tools. There was a second door at the far end of the room and Knight walked over to it, beckoning for his friends to follow. They were shocked at what lay beyond.


	25. Chapter 25

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 25- The Secret Weapon**

Knight opened the door and the titans were awestruck. Before them stood an armory, five suits of armor, all forged of the strongest titanium were set about the room. Knight turned to his friends,"I've always been able to protect myself, but never the ones I love, until today." Knight stepped aside and allowed the titans into his armory. Above each suit hung a colored cloth with a different coat of arms on each one. Beast boy's suit was the first; it was smaller than the others, because of his small stature. The suit was dated from the late 14th century. Its helmet resembled a wolf's head and over the breast plate was a green garment featuring Beast boy's crest, which was a green lion. Starfire's suit stood next. All the suits, except Raven's, were colored to look like steel. Starfire's suit was made up of overlapping strips of titanium. The armor followed her body well, creating a perfect outline of Starfire's form. While most of the armor was steel colored, the neck, lower arms and lower legs were purple. Cyborg's suit stood next to Star's. His was big and bulky to fit his form. Robin's was next to last. Robin's armor was articulated to perfection. Each joint was expertly fitted so that Robin could have full range of movement. A small red cape hung from the back of the armor and part of the helmet had been shaped to form a bird's head. Raven's armor was last, but in Knight's eyes it was the greatest. Her suit was abnormal in that it was colored black, as Knight's armor was. The armor fit Raven's feminine body perfectly. Its graceful curves were exquisite and the edges were engraved. The entire armor was draped in a deep blue cloak so that only her helmet was visible if she was standing still. The helmet, Knight had paid special attention to. Its visor angled down and two small extensions off the face plate almost looked like small raven's wings. (Author's note: I always pictured Raven's helmet to be the ebony helmet from skyrim, just Google that for a good visual!)

The titans were amazed at the massive amount of work that Knight must have done to get all these ready in just a few months. Raven walked up to her armor. She lifted the helmet form the stand and held it in her hands, staring into its dark visor slit. While it wasn't her style, she still really liked her armor. It felt so… her. _Well, it definitely helps my "dark and mysterious" aura. _Raven thought has she hefted the helmet, testing the weight, it wasn't as heavy as it looked. While the titans tried to don their metal exoskeletons, Knight spoke up. "I know this isn't your style," he explained "-so I've worked long and hard to try and make these feel a bit more you." Beast boy was having trouble getting into his main cuirass, so Knight helped him in. "Wait," BB started, "- If I'm wearing this, how am I supposed to shift?" Knight walked over to a table in the center and picked up a mace. "I guess you'll have to learn how to fight like a man." Knight said as he shoved the weapon into Beast boy's hands. He chuckled to himself at his own play on words.

Knight stepped back and frowned a little as he watched his friends test out their new defenses. He had to hope that his armor would be strong enough to protect them from anything short of a nuclear explosion. He went over the process and tests again and again in his mind. He knew he hadn't made any mistakes, but he was still worried to have the lives of his friends in his hands. "How do I look?" asked Raven. Knight turned and around and his jaw dropped a little, he'd always found armor attractive on women, but on Raven... that was a whole new ball game. Raven looked absolutely stunning, to Knight anyway. He thanked himself for making his armor fit so perfectly on her body. "Wow" was all he could manage. Raven smiled, "That bad eh?" Knight immediately apologized, "No! No Raven you look absolutely beautiful!" Raven blushed at his comment, but it was time to get to business. The team had a lot of training to do.


	26. Chapter 26

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 26- Calm before the Storm**

The next day was an early one. By seven all the titans were gathered around the dining room table, waiting for Knight's briefing. Knight walked up and laid out a map of the city on the table before everyone. "First off," Knight began "We have a huge advantage." Knight took out a small computer chip and tossed in front the team. "That is what I found when I took a closer look at one of Seth's "soldiers." His entire army is nothing but lights and clockwork, and that means we don't have to hold back, we can trash these tin toys." Cyborg picked up the chip, "I think I'll take a look at this, see what I can find." Knight nodded. "Seth's soldiers are only the size of humans; there is no way that a computer so small could control all the complex movements of a real person. My theory is that there must be a single brain somewhere that accounts for all the automatons." Robin looked up from the map, "So we find and kill this central core and all the terrorists cease to function." Robin looked deeply disturbed, "There is only one person we know with that kind of access to a robot army." Everyone looked concerned "You don't think Slade might be involved in this?" asked Cyborg. "I hope not." Robin replied.

The rest of the day was spent training. Knight had to show his friends how to fight in full armor. He taught them how to compensate for being top-heavy, and how to take a stance so that their visor slits would not be a target. More importantly, Knight spent hours instructing them in the use of medieval weaponry. Each titan was trained in some kind of weapon, based upon their choosing. Robin had chosen a sword and shield. "Put more of a flick in your wrist," Knight said as he scrubbed away at his battle damaged armor and watched Robin, "remember the goal with sword and shield is being able to strike without opening your defenses." Robin nodded and tried again, concentrating even harder. Raven still had the full use of her powers, so all she wore was a dagger, just in case. She walked over to Knight and sat down beside him. "I really did miss you." She said "Oh I don't doubt it" Knight replied, "with me gone, you must have had to work twice as hard to fill in the void of missing sarcasm." Raven smiled, but then her tone became serious, "Can I ask you something?" Knight nodded. "If Seth kills everyone you get close to, why did you join the Titans?" Knight sighed and ceased his polishing. "I guess I figured he wouldn't be bold enough to attack you guys. I mean, I thought maybe I could get your help in tracking him down. But I never anticipated what happened… the other night. I'm sorry" Raven put her hand on his shoulder, "It isn't your fault. I'd rather have you around maniac or no maniac." She got up, and lightly kissed his cheek; then she left.

By the time evening rolled around, Knight's MBAH or Merry Band of Armored Heroes was ready. Granted, none of them had by any means mastered the weapons they had chosen, but Knight was confident that their knowledge would get them through tomorrow. He once again gathered his friends at the central table. "Cyborg," Knight asked, "what have you found out about the chip I gave you?" Cyborg tossed the chip in the center. "You were right; these are controlled from a central core processing unit. This chip receives fairly short range signals, meaning that the robots have to be relatively close to their brain in order to function properly." Knight crossed his arms thoughtfully. "How far is the maximum range?" Cyborg thought for a moment, "Given the size of that chip, only a mile or so." An idea began to form in Knight's mind, even better, a plan. Knight looked down at the map on the table. "Starfire," Knight said I asked you to keep an eye on the news, where are Seth's forces concentrated?" Starfire pointed to the town hall. "Seth's army is holding their position around the town hall; they have taken the mayor hostage and have asked for us as ransom payment." Knight's eyes closed in thought. "I know where the brain is." He finally said. "The new town hall was built right over the old one. The core must be hidden in the ruins beneath the building." "I know how to get down there, although it's not a route I like to take." Raven said "The same ruins underneath the old library that led to my… problems also branch off to other ruins." Raven dreaded going down there. If Knight knew what she had done, how could he even stand to look at her? She was instrumental in destroying the world! _But the markings will mean nothing to Knight._ Raven thought, trying to console herself. "If it's the Titans Seth wants," Knight started, "then it's the Titans he shall have!"


	27. Chapter 27

**Knight and day **

**Chapter 27- Trident**

Robin's plan was a three pronged attack. Beast boy and Cyborg were to make some noise and draw attention away from the core and the mayor. Knight and Raven would enter the tunnels under the city a few hours ahead of time in order to find the brain, and Robin and Starfire would worry about rescuing the mayor and taking care of Seth. "This is all well and good," Cyborg said "But how are we supposed to get back into the city? We can't just drive in with the T-car." Knight smiled," Follow me." Everyone accompanied Knight to the garage, where a large object was hidden underneath a white cloth. Knight took hold of the fabric and drew it down. "You have GOT to be kidding me." Cyborg said. Knight just smirked and looked at the minivan that lay before them, it was silver. "Nope" he said "Nothing more incognito than the family mobile!" Cyborg just shook his armored head. Robin laughed, then spoke "We'd all better get some sleep, we've got an early morning tomorrow." The titans didn't even bother getting out of their armor; they were too exhausted from the day's training. Everyone just found some to sleep and plopped down for the night. Knight crawled into his own bed, then he noticed Raven looking for a place to lie down. "Take it" Knight said, gesturing towards his own, more comfortable place of rest. Raven didn't bother arguing. Knight just slept in a chair.

The next morning was indeed early, as Robin went form room to room rousing his comrades at three am. With a cup of coffee, the team was ready. Raven and Knight got ready to go ahead of the team, using Raven's power as transport. Knight stood in front of Raven. A bird made purely of dark energy arose from her and enveloped both Raven and Knight. "Don't scratch my ride!" Knight said, and then he was gone. Cyborg just grimaced, he couldn't believe he was driving a minivan, and he felt like a loser.

Traveling by way of dark energy is a very odd experience. The whole time Knight couldn't see anything, and he had this strange sensation as though he was falling, which made his gut do somersaults. He didn't want to admit it to Raven, but he was glad when they finally reappeared in front of the old library. He opened the door and stepped inside. It was dark, but Knight had learned to embrace darkness long ago, it had always concealed him from his enemies. Books were strewn everywhere in various states of disrepair, which deeply saddened both Raven and Knight. The book shelves were rotting, and the only light came from the moon, which shone brightly through an overhead skylight. Raven walked down the stairs to the basement, Knight withdrew a small flash light from the leather pouch he wore at his belt. Its beam sliced through the inky blackness, revealing little. The room was mostly empty, but Raven walked over to the wall, a small red symbol light up on her forehead, and a section of the wall slide down, revealing a passage way. Knight started toward it, but Ravens stepped n front of the entrance, blocking his progress with her armored body. "Before we go down, there is something I have to tell you." She said.

Knight cocked his helmeted head to one side. "Is it about your involvement in the destruction of the world, Trigon being your dad, and all that?" Raven was surprised, although her helmet concealed her face. "How did you know?" she said as she stepped aside, allowing Knight to pass into the bleak interior. "Robin told me about that before I took you to the prom, figured I should know." Raven felt so relieved, she feared Knight would rebuke her as a demon. "And you still risked your life to save me?" she asked. Knight just shook his head slightly. "If I recall correctly, I was hiding a dark secret that nearly got all of us killed. Besides, that entire prophecy was against your will. So no, that doesn't change how I feel about you." A demonic scream echoed from deep down in the blackness. Raven recognized that sound "RUN!" she shrieked. Knight caught her arm and stood his ground. Strange, ghostly creatures were upon them, wielding scythes. Their four eyes glowed red and they shrieked charging at Knight. He drew his sword, and the blade began to glow with light, he slashed at one of the creatures, amazing the blade sliced into the demonic thing. It screamed in pain and its energy dissipated, evaporating into the darkness. The others backed away, and then went flying back to the depths from where they had come. Knight once again replaced his weapon on his back. "How did you-"Raven asked "My sword is a sanctified weapon, blessed by a priest years ago. I have dealt with demons before." Knight continued down a few more steps before he sighed and turned to Raven, "We're running out of time, we have to speed things up. Don't let me hit the ground." Knight turned and leaped of the stairs, disappearing into the darkness below. "Damn it Knight," Raven said "Why do you always jump?" and she leaped off the edge after him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 28- The Six Man Army**

It was 5:30 as the T-minivan moved into position. It was still dark outside, but the horizon was beginning to glow a bright orange. Cyborg stopped the car about a quarter mile from the city hall on a empty street, tall dark buildings loomed overhead. Robin and Starfire stepped out into the cool night air, looking very different in their new armor. "All right Cyborg, as soon as we see you attack, we'll sneak in and grab the mayor. I hope these suits work" Cyborg looked back through his helmeted head, "Armor works, trust me!" Cyborg rolled up the window and sped off down the street; they watched him for a moment, until he rounded the corner and disappeared from view; leaving Robin and Starfire alone. Robin took a deep breath and collected himself, "Starfire, if we don't make it… I just want you to know that-"Starfire cut Robin off with a hug. "We shall make the it" she said.

Cyborg and Beast boy approached the city hall; it was guarded by two soldiers, and blocked by a large black gate which was flanked by a small guard house and two impossibly huge brick walls. One of the guards walked up to the driver side window, Cyborg rolled it down. "Special delivery" he said as he leaned out the window and smashed the robot's head with his war hammer. "I hope Knight was being sarcastic when he said not too scratch this thing!" Cyborg exclaimed as he slammed on the gas, smashing into the other guard and at the same time breaking down the gate that blocked his entry. As soon as he sped through into the court yard, a rocket flew from one of the robotic guards and hit the van right in the side door, there was a massive explosion and the car rolled over on to one side, destroyed. Amazingly, Cyborg and Beast boy stepped out of the wreckage, unharmed. "All right!" Beast boy shouted as he charged at his adversaries, swinging his flail over his head and making sure to keep it constantly moving as Knight had instructed him. He brought the spiked ball on its end down on one of the androids with tremendous force, obliterating his head. Bullets and energy bolts alike flew at both Beast boy and Cyborg but each deadly attack ricocheted off their metal shells. Cyborg leaped at some more of the soldiers and swung left and right with his hammer, knocking down enemy troops as thought they were bowling pins. He ducked and covered his face with his arm, shielding his visor slit from the hail of oncoming bullets. More and more of the robots came. One of the mechanized soldiers raised a flame thrower, shooting tongues of fire at Beast boy. "Take out the flame throwers!" Cyborg shouted, "Or they'll roast us alive!"

Outside, Seth watched the battle from the window with cold, calculating eyes. "This isn't good" he said. "I never anticipated six armored hooligans!" A voice came from behind him, "You should be more worried about the enemies you can't see. I have a ways of dealing with those two." The mysterious figure withdrew, leaving Seth alone. He knew the Titans were resourceful, so he left to go check on the core, just in case they had discovered the weakness of his robots.

Meanwhile, Robin and Starfire came to the huge brick wall that surrounded the building. Starfire took Robin by the hand and they flew over the wall. He dropped to the ground and scanned his surroundings. No one was around, although he could hear the battle raging in the front of the building. "There!" Starfire exclaimed, she was pointing towards a rectangle of light; it was the basement window. Robin's heart raced as he inched toward it. When he glanced inside, all he saw was an empty room with some storage crates. He gently opened the window and dropped inside.

When nothing happened, he gestured for Starfire to follow him. Robin drew his sword and slung his shield on his arm. The two heroes crept up the stairs to an off-white colored hallway, with three soldiers at the end. They turned and saw him, but it was too late. Star bolts flew at one, and within moments it was a pile of slag. Robin slashed viciously at the remaining enemies, slicing them down the middle. Sparks flew from their derelict bodies as Robin and Starfire ran past them. They ran down the hall to see Seth. He looked at them and smiled, tossing a grenade in their direction. Robin raised his shield to cover both him and Starfire. The resounding boom was impossibly loud as the explosion tore through the hall way. Robin grimaced as chunks of shrapnel pinged of his shield. When Robin looked again, Seth was gone. In his place was someone much, much worse. "Slade!" Robin said. "That's an interesting fashion statement, Robin." Slade said. Suddenly, he sprang forward. Slade lunged, past Robin and towards Starfire. While she still had full use of her powers, she had opted to carry a longsword anyway. Slade jumped and grabbed the hilt of Starfire's weapon, pulling it from its sheath and turning to face Robin, sword raised. Robin gestured for Starfire to move. "Go get the mayor" he said, "-this is my fight!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 29- A Blade in the Dark**

Hours earlier

Knight flew through what seemed like the endless darkness. He drew his arms and legs in, to accelerate is dive. Suddenly, the ground was visible, inches from his face. He braced himself, preparing for impact, but none came. When he opened his eyes, he was floating so close to the ground it was mere centimeters from his face. Then, gravity took hold of him again and he fell in a heap. Raven floated down beside him as he got up and brushed himself off. "See, I knew you would catch me" Knight said as he flicked a piece of dirt off his armored shoulder. "One of these days I won't be here to break your fall, can you please not jump all the time?" Raven asked as she scanned the room. Knight smirked, "don't count on it." All around, there were strange, glowing crystals. The chamber was cast in an eerie green glow. Statues of Trigon stood about the stone walls and Raven shivered at the image of him. At the far end of the space was what she sought, there was an opening that led to the old subways. "This way" she said as she started towards the exit. Knight followed behind her. He didn't need his flashlight so he replaced it in his leather pouch. "Man, I love this little pouch. It was a gift… from my uncle." Raven looked behind her at Knight. "Oh, is he…" Her voice trailed off. Knight said nothing, just nodded his helmeted head. Raven chose not to respond.

The two walked in silence for awhile. They past abandoned subway cars, rusted with age. Whole buildings were underground. They wandered for hours before they came upon a huge cavern. The ceiling was pockmarked with the glowing crystals which cast enough light to see, and held up by the buildings that still stood inside. They were old, made of faded brick. Raven stopped. "What is it?" Knight asked. Raven scanned her surroundings; she honestly didn't know where they were. "This doesn't look familiar" she said flatly. Knight reached into his pouch and took out his communicator. "No signal," he said "but the time reads five in the morning, which means we're running out of time." Raven kept looking around, scanning for any sort of clue. There was a faded street sign that read, Third Avenue. She squinted, trying to make out the number on a house, when out of the corner of her eye, something moved. Raven jumped, her hands glowing with dark energy. "What?" Knight asked, instinctively drawing his blade. "I thought I saw something." Knight did not sheath his weapon. Then, from a dark alley, a shape began to move toward them. _Please,_ Knight heard, and he took a fighting stance. A figure stepped into the green light. It was a man. He was old, very old. He wore clothing from an age long past, it was a faded suit from the twenties, when the old city had been buried. His face was as pale as snow, and his eyes were white with no pupil. The man was blind, like a cave fish. "_You must help us"_ his voice sounded raspy, and he had difficulty speaking. "Us?" Raven asked. Then strange pale people of all ages stepped into the light out of every nook and cranny, no longer hiding.

Raven looked around her. Everyone was just like the old man. They were normal people, but pale and blind, and wearing clothing from the early twentieth century. Raven turned to the old man, "What is it that you need?" she asked. The man's mouth moved a little, but it still took him much effort to speak. "_We have lived here, in darkness and silence, for many years. Our existence is peaceful and happy. But strange metal men have come… killing."_ Knight sheathed his weapon and Raven powered down. "Metal men like us?" Knight asked. The old man concentrated, trying hard to form the words. _"No, you are in a metal shell, but you are still a man. These strange metal men, they have no hearts. They brought with them something, something large. It glows with heat. We covet heat in our cold existence, when some of us trued to touch it, the metal men shot them. Now they come every hour or so, trying to wipe us out."_ Raven knew what had happened, and now these strange people knew where the brain was. "We will help you, where is this source of heat you speak of?" The old man closed his pale eyes, brows furrowed. "_It is at the top of the highest tower"_ he said, gesturing towards a door. The door led to a building completely covered in earth. Only the door frame was visible, the glass was broken. "We will stop these metal men, thank you for your help." Knight said. The old man smiled, with what looked like great effort. Then he and his people withdrew into the shadows, leaving Raven and Knight alone. "What happened to these people?" Knight asked. Raven shook her head, "I don't know, but we have to move." With that, the two heroes ran to the entrance of the derelict tower.


	30. Chapter 30

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 30- Endgame**

Cyborg leaped to avoid the flame that threatened to consume him. Protected as he was, these soldiers were trying to roast him alive. He took off his right gauntlet, and his arm shifted into a sonic cannon. He took aim and fired, destroying one of the flame wielding robots, but taking off his gauntlet had been a mistake. Snipers were waiting for an opening and within moments a bullet tore trough is robotic arm. He ducked behind the ruins of the van, his sonic cannon thoroughly destroyed, still more flame poured from his adversaries. Beast boy wasn't fairing much better, he dived sideways as the bush behind him burst into flames. He charged, swinging his flail but he was forced to fall back as the heat was too intense. BB ran and leaped over the wreckage of his derelict vehicle to join Cyborg. He opened up his communicator. "Beast boy calling Knight, What is you status, answer me!" But there was no reply. "Knight better take out that brain" Cyborg shouted, "Before we get cooked!"

Inside, Starfire was facing her own problems. She ran down the hall, away from Robin and Slade who were dueling furiously and she burst through the large double doors to the main room. The mayor and his family were blindfolded and gagged in the center of the circular room. Four guards stood around them and Star immediately began hurling bolts in their direction. These robots were an elite unit, they wore no clothes. Each was tall and black, with three red eyes adorning their torsos. Their legs were reverse articulated and there was no head, just two legs, two arms, and deadly looking claw hands, which held tightly on to flame throwers. Star let fly a barrage of projectiles but the bots were impossibly fast. The dodged from side to side, nimbly avoiding her attacks and at the same time sending balls of fire in her direction. She weaved and ducked through the air, returning fire as she did so, but it did little. The elite units nimbly avoided her efforts and soon she found herself on the defense, fighting to stay alive.

In the hallway outside, Robin and Slade exchanged blows impossibly fast. Slade struck to left with his stolen sword and then immediately switched to the right, testing Robin's defense. Knight had taught Robin well and he managed to hold his ground, keeping Slade away from Starfire. Robin brought his blade towards Slade's head with tremendous force, at the last second he flicked his wrist, and the sword swung at the back of Slade's head, amazingly he dodged. "You didn't think you could beat me that easily, did you?" Robin began to take the offensive, cutting left and right. He swung around his shield, as Knight had taught him. Even with the training, Robin still could not defeat Slade, and he couldn't hold out indefinitely. Robin's small victory of attacking did not last long. Slade pressed his attack. Robin began to back up, shield raised. Slade struck down hard on Robin's shield again and again, trying to tire him out, break down his defense. Unfortunately for Robin, it was working.

Deep underground, Raven and Knight were nearing the core. Knight searched through the derelict building. Green wallpaper with floral designs was peeling off the walls of the main lobby. There was a rotted wood desk in the center of the room. The entire tower was skewed and sat at an angle. Earth had seeped in through the broken windows, illuminating the room with the glow of its crystals. Knight stepped forward and his armored foot crunched on broken glass that littered the marble floor. The body of one of the underground residents lay on the ground in a pool of blood. Raven ran over to him. She took off her gauntlet and pressed two fingers against his neck. When she stood, Knight looked at her expectantly. She shook her head and replaced her armored glove. Knight moved further into the building.

He went to the end of the room, where elevator doors were located. He wedged his blade in between the two doors and heaved, prying them open. He was met with an empty elevator shaft. Above he saw utter darkness, below he saw; utter darkness. "Looks like I have found our ticket up" Knight said, turning to Raven. She stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed. She stepped forward, and created a platform of energy for them to stand on. "Shall we?" she asked, and Knight stepped on. The two flew upward; occasionally Raven caught a glimpse of her surroundings as they passed a pocket of crystals that had forced their way inside the shaft. Knight noticed an open door as they passed by. Above ground, Seth's grenade went off. The entire tower shook with the force of the explosion. Raven stopped her ascent. Small chunks of debris fell down from above, and she thought she heard a slight creaking. Then, all of a sudden there was a loud SNAP! Knight jumped into Raven and pulled her from her platform. He took hold of his friend as they flew though the darkness. Finally, he saw the open door he noticed earlier. He caught hold of the ledge and swung himself and Raven inside, barely avoiding the failed elevator as it fell, screaming past them. What seemed like an eternity passed before the tower shook once more as the elevator crashed into the lowest level, the resounding noise echoing throughout the ruins. "Thanks" Raven stammered, shaking from the shock. "Were running out of time" Knight responded. Then Raven once again created her transport and they flew up the shaft even faster than they had before.

Above them the titans were fighting a losing battle against the minions of Slade. Starfire had given up her attack and was flying all around the circular room, desperately trying to avoid the fire of the elite robots. At the head of the room, the wooden doors of the main entrance exploded in a shower of splinters as Beast boy came flying through the doors. Cyborg ran in after him, and the two took defensive positions around the mayor. Starfire joined their formation. Robin burst through the back door, panting with fatigue from fighting Slade. He backed up, and joined his comrades. "Now is the time to give up" Slade said flatly. The titans were surrounded, so many flame throwers trained on them. Robin collected himself for what seemed like his last battle, "Titans" he said "go!"

Underneath them Knight and Raven finally came to the top floor of the tower. The doors were closed, but a flick of Raven's hand and they were forced apart by her energy. Knight stepped inside. Rotted doors flanked him on both sides; some of them were open, revealing ruined hotel rooms. At the then end of the hall was the pent house suite, where the core was housed. Raven and Knight ran down the hall, he kicked with all his might and the rotten doors fell down before him. The room had a huge glass window for one of its walls. Once it looked out over the city, now it was mostly broken and only dirt and crystals gleamed behind it. More of the faded green wall paper lined the room, and all the furniture had been removed to make room for the extensive computer equipment that lay about. A huge glowing ball of orange dominated the center of the room: the core. "So I see you have discovered my weakness, how resourceful." Seth sneered as he stepped out from the shadows, flanked by several of the elite bots. "I believe you'll find the advanced models of my droids to be too much for even you to handle." With that, the droids sprung into action. They sprinted in random directions about the room, shooting tongues of fire at the heroes. Raven threw up a shield to block their attacks. "I can't hit them with my crossbow!" Knight shouted over the roar of the flame, "They're too fast and I'm out of bolts!" Knight stepped out from cover, and immediately ducked to avoid the flames.

He made a mad dash for the core, he didn't have to beat the bots; he just had to get past them. He ran as fire licked his armor, it was impossibly hot. He felt like he was cooking inside. He leaped into the air, greatsword angled down, and he drove it deep into the brain. "NO!" Seth shouted, but it was too late. As Knight fell he drew his weapon down, doing even more damage. The elite bots let out an electronic scream as they lost their signal. Their arms flailed wildly and they sprayed fire everywhere. Raven jumped behind Knight and threw up some cover to protect them both. Seth was not so lucky. The flames hit him head on and he fell to the ground, rolling in an attempt to put them out. The red lights on the robots finally went dark, and they toppled over. Raven let down her shield and Knight walked over to Seth, who lay on the ground, badly burned. Seth drew a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at Knight. Knight lowered his sword just in front of his face. "Do it!" Seth shouted. Knight hesitated; if he killed Seth, then he couldn't be a titan. If he let Seth live, he would escape and try to hunt Knight down. Knight stood there with his sword so close to ending Seth's life. Seth growled angrily "weak!" he screamed, then he put the barrel of the gun to his own head. Knight closed his eyes, and he heard the shot. Seth was finally dead. When Knight opened his eyes, Seth was unmoving; his head lying in a pool of scarlet. Knight didn't quite know what to feel, relief maybe. For once life, he felt safe. But Knight did not feel happy. No happiness could come from revenge, because nothing could bring back those he once knew and loved. When Knight didn't move, Raven walked over to him, took his arm, and led him away.

Upstairs, the titans were all but defeated. The fought furiously against their enemy, but it did little good. Robin returned to his battle with Slade. Back and forth blows were exchanged; Robin managed to get a hit on Slade's shoulder. "ENOUGH!" Slade shouted, and he moved in, catching Robin's sword and wrenching it from his grasp. Then, something strange happened. The robots, their eyes went dark and they fell to the ground lifeless. Slade's single visible eye widened in surprise; he knocked Robin to the ground and put the point of his sword near his visor slit. "Get any closer and he dies!" Slade shouted, stopping the other titans from moving in. Robin had no weapon, but Cyborg had brought an axe with him as a backup, in case he lost his hammer. "Robin!" Cyborg yelled, "Take this axe!" and flung the weapon towards his friend. Robin caught it and swung the axe right into Slade's armored face. The metal on Slade's mask cracked, and he staggered back, dropping Starfire's sword as he clutched his injured head. "Give it up Slade!" growled Beast boy as the titans advanced. A trickle of blood seeped through the crack on his mask and he flung a small pellet at the ground, the room filled with smoke. Robin rushed forward, but Slade was already gone.


	31. Chapter 31

**Knight and day**

**Chapter 31- Epilogue**

Seven years later.

The titans sat around a table, outside of their favorite pizza parlor. Things had changed. Terra sat among them, laughing away and holding hands with Beast boy. The titans had returned to their normal clothing, all except Raven. She still wore the armor Knight had made for her years ago. She really did like it; it made her look dark and mysterious, as she had always chosen to appear. Knight sat next to her and she leaned on his shoulder. Their helmets rested on the seat next to them. Both Knight and Raven looked bored as they stared at Beast boy and Cyborg, who were arguing over what toppings to put on their pizza. "Can we just order something?" Raven asked flatly. "I highly doubt it" Knight responded, sounding very similar to her. Over the years, her lack of emotion had rubbed off on Knight, though he was still the master of sarcasm. Just then, an explosion tore the street below them.

A man flew in front of the titans, he wore armor that resembled Knight's, but it was high tech. Small jets of flame roared from his boots and on his back was a metal box, with missiles attached to its top. "Knight!" he shouted "Prepare to meet your match!" Knight and Raven said noting, just donned their helmets. "Titans g-"Robin started, but Knight cut him off, "Raven and I can handle this." The stranger let fly a missile at their table, the titans scattered, looking for cover. "Raven!" Knight yelled, "Delta!" Raven nodded her head in understanding. Knight jumped on top of the nearest intact table and Raven launched him and the table into the air, giving him the height advantage he needed. Years ago, Robin had feared that Knight and Raven being in love would interfere with missions, they would be distracted. But his worries were ill-founded. Raven and Knight used their bond to play off each other's abilities. They had learned to cover for each other's weaknesses and build off each other's strengths, becoming the ultimate dynamic duo.

Knight reversed his grip on his sword as he flew through the air, holding the blade and using the cross guard as a hammer. He swung hard at the assailant's back and hit him like a baseball, sending him flying straight to Raven, who was waiting. "Azuras mentreon zyntos!" she shouted and two tables glowed black, then they flew through the air and smashed into the stranger, crushing him between them. He hit the ground and stood up, "You'll have to do better than that! My armor increases my strength by -ungh!" He was cut off as Knight came up from behind him, slicing the metal box on his back in half. "No!" he screamed. Instantly, his jointed limbs seized up and refused to work, the glowing eyes of his helmet went dark, and the villain toppled over on to his back. "My battery!" he cried. Knight stood over the disabled man and sheathed his sword. "Boy," he said "They sure don't make 'em like they used to."

The other titans came out from cover. "I guess we'd better find another pizza place." Robin said. The others began to follow him out, but Knight lagged behind. Raven moved to go after Robin, but Knight caught her arm. "Raven" he said, "have you got a moment?" Raven stopped and turned to face Knight, who took off his helmet. Raven in turn took off her own. "What is it?" She asked. Her eyes lingered for a moment at the scar down his eye, the scar he had gotten the day he died for her. "I've just been thinking" Knight began, "I want spend the rest of my life with you." Knight reached into his small leather pouch and withdrew a ring, made of solid gold and adorned with a dark blue sapphire. Raven looked at Knight, at his features, at the man who she had come to love, but she frowned and stepped back. "No" she said

"I can't. You've told me you're Christian; and me… I'm a demon. I'm a vile thing, Knight. I'm no good for you" She took his hand and closed it around the ring he held. Knight looked shocked. He got down on one knee before her, and poured out his heart. "Raven, you are good born of evil. Everyone thought that they had chosen your destiny for you, but you have always followed your own path, and tried to do what you know to be right; even in the face of so much wrong. Your heart and soul are pure and untainted by your father's evil, and it is I who is not worthy of you." But even in spite of Knight's speech Raven turned her back to him, and a rare tear stained her pale cheek. Knight stood up. He stared at the ground, depressed. A moment passed, and then Knight's face lit up. "Raven!" he exclaimed, drawing his weapon "take this." Raven raised an eyebrow but Knight handed her the sword, hilt first. She took it in both hands, nothing happened. "What now?" Raven asked. Knight just smiled, his eyes wet with tears of happiness. He hugged her, "Raven, can you not see it?" he cried "My sword is sanctified, a holy weapon! If you truly were evil then your hands would burn at its touch!" Raven's eyes widened with understanding and she hugged him back, dropping the sword. "I'm sorry," she cried "will you still have me?" Knight withdrew and took her hand in his own, he placed the ring on her finger; it fit perfectly over the armor. Even though Raven was still a half demon, Knight didn't care. There is light and dark in everyone, _what matters is the part we act on_ Knight thought. "Raven, I wouldn't trade you for anyone" with that, the two embraced, never to let go again.

The End

**This story is dedicated to all those who feel lost in the world; to those who are introverted, isolated, different, bullied, misunderstood. This is dedicated to every Knight and every Raven. May we all find each other; but first may we find ourselves. Until then; you're not creepy your just different. **


End file.
